Following the Breadcrumbs
by Butterfly Betty
Summary: Bella, Alice, and Rosalie Swan are looking for the person who shot their father, Charlie, and left him for dead. The Cullen boys, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, help them but will the person they're after get to them first? AH&MA E/B,J/A,EM/R
1. Chapter 1

He grabbed my arms and slammed me against the wall. I felt my head hit against the plaster and drywall behind me. He brought his hands up and gripped my neck. He started to squeeze slowly. I scratched at his hands trying to free myself but he tightened his grip. I gasped for air. I managed to get my hands on his chest as I pushed him off of me and kicked him squarely in the chest with the heel of my left foot. He fell back through the glass window and fell to the ground.

"AANNNDDD CUT," yells James Stevens. "That's a wrap."

"Isabella, I hope I didn't push you too hard on the wall," said Kellan Lutz, the actor working with me as he stood up.

"Nope, you were very convincing," I chuckled. "I'll see you later, Kellan."

"See you later, Isabella," said Kellan.

"Are you and your sisters heading to the airport tonight?" asked James as we gathered our personal belongings.

"No, we are driving down to visit Charlie for a while," I said harshly as a tear fell from my eye.

"He still isn't any better?" asked James.

"Nope, they can't seem to figure out why he is still in the coma after three months. I just haven't had a chance to see him for a while for some reason," I snapped, glaring at him. "I had better get going. Alice and Rosalie are waiting for me in our dressing room."

"Ok, Isabella, take care," said James.

I made my way to my dressing room to where my sisters were waiting for me. I just smiled at them as I quickly changed out of my black leather miniskirt, black fishnet stockings, and black tank top into a pair of yoga pants and a t-shirt. I washed all the make-up off my face and brushed through the ratty mess that was once my hair.

We just had our last day of filming for the new video we were doing. For the past two months, we had been working fourteen hours a day six days a week up here in Toronto, Canada. It has been a long few months for my sisters and I. Our father was the chief of police in the small town of Forks, Washington. The crime rate there was non-existent until three months ago when Charlie was found bleeding in the middle of Newton's Sporting Goods. He had been shot seven times in the chest. He barely survived and slipped into a coma. They never caught the bastard that shot him, either. I personally would like the chance to kick his scrawny ass. We haven't been back to see him since the week he was shot. The press had a field day about his shooting. They ran the story across CNN and FOX news for days but once the police found themselves at a dead end, they weren't interested in it as much.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Long shoot," I said as I hugged my sisters. "We ready to head out?"

"It's ok, B. Let's just get moving. It's going to be a long drive," said Rosalie. We headed over and climbed into Rosalie's red BMW SUV. I climbed into the backseat while Alice took shotgun. As soon as we were all in, Rosalie took off to the highway. "Are you glad we are done filming the video?"

"Yes, I was starting to think James was never going to be happy with any takes," I grumbled.

"When do we have to be back in LA, B?" asked Alice.

"Not for awhile. I was thinking we should take some time off to spend with Charlie," I said as I closed my eyes. "Besides, I need a break from working."

"Good, I was thinking we could stay for a few weeks. Charlie is going to need us when he wakes up," whispered Alice.

"Ali, please don't tell me you had another one of your voodoo dreams," chuckled Rosalie.

"Rosie, my dreams are not voodoo. They are more like visions," snapped Alice.

"Rosie, leave Ali alone. She did predict that you would get an A on your calculus test when you were a senior," I chuckled.

"B, I think the fact that I studied my ass of had more to do with it but I will give you credit, Ali, for knowing that I was going to give my virginity up to David Lowry are my junior prom."

"Rosie, I could have predicted that," I chuckled. "Ali, I hope you are right about Charlie waking up. I miss him."

"I know you do, B. I still can't believe James wouldn't give us time off to come see him," said Alice.

"I know. Needless to say we won't be working with him again," I said. "I am going to try to get some sleep."

"Night, B," they said at the same time.

I laid down in the seat and closed my eyes. I was lucky to have my sisters. Rosalie was the oldest and toughest of all three of us. She was tall, with long legs. She had long silky blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was ferociously protective of both Alice and me. Alice is the opposite of Rosalie, at least in appearance. She was barely five feet two inches tall. She has long silky black hair and bright blue eyes. She may be tiny but she can kick anyone's ass. They both look just like our mom, Renee. At least what I have seen from the pictures. I never got to meet my mom. I looked like Charlie. I'm in the middle as far as height at five feet five inches. I have long brown hair and big chocolate brown eyes. Charlie used to call me his mini me.

Growing up the three of us were best friends. Even though I was two years younger than Alice and three years younger than Rose, they never left me out. When they would go to their friends houses they let me go with them. They never complained about dragging their baby sister with them. When, or if their friends had a problem with me coming, my sisters informed them that they could straight to hell. They would leave dates early when I was sick or upset about something. They never complained, at least not to me. We always said as long as we had each other, then we didn't need anyone. Except for Charlie, of course.

Charlie had to raise us alone after our mother died while giving birth to me. Rose was only three and Alice was two when I was born. Charlie was the best father. He would fix our hair and play Barbie's with us. He would let us dress him up and paint his nails. He went to every dance recital, piano recital, school play, and anything else we did. He taught us how to work on cars, he taught us how to throw a proper right hook, he let Alice use him as a model for her clothing designs. He took us to every vocal lesson, piano lesson and anything else we wanted to do. He was the perfect Dad. I missed him more and more everyday.

Rosalie, Alice and I formed our rock band, Twilight, when I was a freshman in high school. Alice was a junior and Rose was senior. Alice plays the drums, Rose plays the bass and I play the guitar, sing and play the keyboard when I need to. For the first few years, we mostly played friend's parties and a few gigs in Seattle. It wasn't until we were in LA that we got our big break. I was nineteen, Alice was twenty one and Rose was twenty two. We were playing this open mike night at this totally trashy bar when we were approached by Angela Weber. Angela went to school with me. She worked for Eclipse Records. She came and saw us perform a few times in Seattle.

When we got to LA, she came to us one night after a set. She wanted to sign us for a record deal. We called Charlie and he came and met with Angela. After a few hours of talking, Charlie gave us his blessing. Angela said she was impressed that we valued our father's opinion the way we did. We signed our contracts and started working on our first record. After a few months, our record was released. It was a huge success. We went on tour across the country. Our record went triple platinum in just a matter of a few months. That has been four years and three albums ago. I have been working with Angela to get us a few months off so we could be here for Charlie. She did everything she could to get James to let us out of our contract for the video but James refused. He always was an ass. I told Angela that we won't work with him anymore. She agreed and helped us work with the company to get a few months off. We need to be with our father right now. Angela understand how important he is to us.

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**I hope you enjoy this new story. I promised Parentingtipsdaily that I would start it here. Let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

The only good thing about the last three months was knowing that Charlie was being taken care of by Carlisle Cullen. Carlisle and his lovely wife, Esme, have been our neighbors since we were born. Carlisle is the chief of staff at Fork's Memorial Hospital. He spent plenty of time fixing my broken bones and cuts. Esme is a free lance photographer. They, along with their three sons, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, were a second family to us. In fact when Rose first got her period, Charlie sent us over to Esme so she could explain to us about our special woman time. I was nine years old at the time and it scared the crap out of me. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were the closest thing we had to brothers. The six of us picked out nicknames for each other. Emmett was Em, Rosalie was Rosie, Alice was Ali, Jasper was J, Edward was E and I was B. Emmett was the same age as Rose, Jasper was the same age as Alice and Edward was the same age as me.

Edward and I actually had the same birthday so we often had joint birthday parties. Edward was not only my best friend but the love of my life. We lived together in LA. We hoped to be married in the next few years. We were trying to organize a tour together but it was hard to work through. I hadn't seen him in three months but we talked on the phone and emailed each other all the time. Edward, Emmett and Jasper were the members of the band, Breaking Dawn. They were signed to Eclipse records at the same time we were. Their agent was a good friend of Rose and Emmett's, Ben Cheney. He was a classmate of theirs. Angela and Ben were married a couple years ago. They were currently oversea somewhere on tour. I missed them more than I could say.

Emmett and Rosalie started dating when they were seniors in high school. Edward, Jasper, Alice and I used to tease them all the time about them being incestuous until Jasper and Alice started dating a few months later. Edward and I used to tease them about moving to Arkansas and raising their children together. Emmett and Rose have been married for three years. Jasper and Alice got married a year ago. Once Jasper and Alice left for college at UCLA, Edward and I became inseparable. For two years, we did everything together. We went to every party, dance and school function together but it wasn't until our senior prom that I even realized I had been in love with Edward forever.

He came over to the house and picked me up as he normally did. He looked hot in a black tuxedo. I was wearing an ice blue silk dress that fell to my knees. One of the few times I didn't look like a rocker girl. He pulled me into his arms and told me I looked exquisite. I felt a tingle run through my body when I felt his arms around me. After Charlie and Esme took an entire roll of pictures each, while Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice and Carlisle all laughed at us from behind them, Edward led me out to his Aston Marten Vanquish. We showed up at the dance and he helped me out of the car. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me inside and straight to the dance floor. While we danced I felt my heart rate increase when I felt his breathe against my check. I looked up at his eyes and I just knew that I was in love with him. I realized that I had always loved him. So I took a deep breath and I leaned up on my toes and pressed my lips to his. He didn't do anything for about half a second before he pulled my body flush with his and plunged his tongue into my mouth. We stood there in the middle of the dance floor and kissed hungrily for several minutes before Mr. Banner, our biology teacher, came over and pulled us apart. I blushed scarlet as Edward led me out to his car. He took me down to first beach, our favorite place. He led me over to our tree and we sat down on a blanket from his car. I still remember every word that he said to me that night.

"_B, I have waited for you to kiss me like that forever. I love you so much," He whispered as he gently caressed my face._

"_I love you too, E," I whispered. "I have always loved you."_

_Edward leaned in and kissed me again. I threw my arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. I climbed into his lap and I felt his hands grab my ass as he pulled me closer to him. I reached down and started to undo his pants. I felt him tense up a little but I knew it was the right time. _

"_E, I want you to make love to me right now, right here," I whispered into his ear. _

"_I love you so much, B," said Edward as he slipped off my panties from under my dress. _

_I quickly undid his pants and pushed them down. I climbed over and slid down on to his erection slowly. I gasped slightly when he pushed through my barrier but he kissed me and whispered that everything was going to be ok. I slowly started moving my hips with his. We made love on the beach all night. Our bodies moved slowly in perfect union with each other. We were tender with each other. It was perfect. I knew then that we would always be together. We watched the sun come up together. Edward took me home and pressed his lips to mine again before I went inside. From that moment on, Edward was mine._

I was shaken awake when I felt the car come to a stop. I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I looked out the window and saw that we were already in Forks. We were parked in front of the hospital. Rose, Alice and I hopped out and stretched.

"How fucking fast were you driving, Rosie?" I asked.

"Only about 90," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"I am glad I was asleep then," I said. I didn't like to drive fast.

"Me too. I didn't want to hear you bitching all the way here," chuckled Rose.

"Shut the fuck up, Rosie," I chuckled. "You drive like a fucking maniac."

"Whatever, bitches. Let's go see Charlie," said Alice.

The three of us walked into the hospital. We went up to the information desk to get Charlie's new room number. When we left he was in ICU still. There was a woman about my age with bleach blond hair standing behind it. She looked a little familiar. We stood there for a few moments before Rose slammed her hand on the desk to get her attention. The poor woman jumped about three feet in the air. She looked up and glared at Rose for a half second before she recognized us. It was then that I realized who she was. It was Lauren Mallory. She was one of the biggest bitches in my class at school. She threw her hands over her mouth and tried to stifle her squeal.

"Oh my god," she squealed. "I am such a big fan of yours."

"That's nice. Can you please tell us what room Charlie is in?" said Rose rolling her eyes.

"I loved your last album. It was like so totally awesome," she gushed.

"Thanks, but we really need that room number," said Alice.

"I saw you perform in Seattle last year. It was a totally awesome show," she sighed.

"Lauren, get your fucking head out of our asses and fucking tell us what room Charlie is in," I snapped. Rose and Alice just started chuckling next to me.

"Sorry, Bella. He is in room 312," she huffed.

"Thanks, Lauren. Always a pleasure to see you," I chuckled. Rose and Alice grabbed my arms and started pulling me to the elevator.

"That was fucking awesome, B," chuckled Alice.

"She was always such a bitch to me. Now she acts like we are fucking BFFs," I chuckled as we stepped into the elevator.

"Oh, come on. After all everything we do is like so totally awesome," mocked Rosalie.

"Rosie, don't ever fucking do that again. Seriously, I think you are scarring me for life," I chuckled as the door opened to the third floor.

The three of us sobered up immediately. We walked down the hall to room 312. We pushed open the door and I felt the tears start pouring down my face when I saw Charlie laying in that bed. He looked like he had lost weight. He was pale and gaunt looking. There was a tube in his nose giving him oxygen. The machine next to him was showing us his heart rate, blood pressure. I went over and gently grabbed his hand.

"Hey, Daddy. I've missed you so much," I said as I kissed his forehead.

"You aren't looking to good there, Daddy. You need to wake up so we can get some real food in you," whispered Rose, taking his other hand.

"Daddy, we just wrapped up our last video. I think you will really like it," cried Alice.

"Yeah, I actually got to kick some ass. Those self defense classed you had us take really helped," I chuckled.

"Poor Kellan is going to be feeling her left foot for awhile," said Rose.

"I would hate to be this Kellan person," chuckled a man behind us.

We looked over and found Carlisle standing in the door to Charlie's room. He still looked totally hot. I used to have the biggest crush on him. He was tall and in great shape. He had wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He opened his arms up and the three of us fell into his embrace. We let our tears pour as he held us.

"How is he?" I whispered.

"The same. We can't figure out why he isn't waking up. Maybe having his girls here will help," said Carlisle.

"Have they found the bastard that shot him?" asked Rose.

"No, they know it is someone from here in Forks. Whoever it was wanted Charlie to find him in the store. They set the whole thing up just to shot him. They just don't know who it was or why they wanted him," said Carlisle.

"It makes no sense. Everyone loves Charlie," said Alice softly as she grabbed Charlie hand.

"I know," said Carlisle. "I don't get it either. Anyway, visiting hours are over. You girls are welcome to stay at the house with Esme and I."

"Thanks, Carlisle. I think we would prefer to stay at Charlie's," said Rose.

"I understand but at least come over and have dinner with us tonight."

"Ok, Carlisle. We will be there in a little bit," I said.

"Ok, girls."

Carlisle left and we hugged and kissed Charlie before we followed Carlisle out. We heard quite a few people gasp when they saw the three of us walking to the elevator. I simply rolled my eyes and kept going. Most of the people in this town called the boys and us fools for going to LA and trying to become rock stars. Of course once we got signed they all sucked up to us all. They said the same thing when Ben and Angela went to LA to get jobs in the music business. We all proved them wrong. We quickly made our way to our car and climbed in. We pulled up in front of our childhood home about ten minutes later. It still looked the same. I always loved this house growing up. It was a large Victorian style house with a wrap around porch. We hopped out and grabbed our luggage from the backseat. We slowly made our way up the steps and opened the front door.

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**Here is chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for all the reviews. Keep them coming.**


	3. Chapter 3

We stepped in and I felt my tears falling down my face. It felt so empty without Charlie here. I turned on the light in the living room and looked around. I kept expecting Charlie to come around the corner and plop down on the sofa.

The walls and shelves were covered in pictures of us growing up. I went over and looked at the one of the three of us dressed for our first ballet recital. I was three and I was not happy. Charlie begged me to take dance with Rose and Alice so I did. I hated every minute of it. Next to it was the one of us in our baseball uniforms the year that Charlie coached our team. We never won a single game but he always took our team out for ice cream afterwards. There were a lot of pictures of the three of us together. Some of us playing in the snow. One of them burying me in the sand when I was eight at Carlisle and Esme's beach house. All of our school pictures lined the wall. I stopped and looked at my favorite picture.

It was a picture of Renee when she was pregnant with me. He belly was protruding out and Alice and Rose were laying their heads on it. Renee had the biggest smile on her beautiful face as she had all of her girls together. I was born two days later and Renee was gone. Even though I never got to know her I missed her like crazy.

I just shook my head a little and looked over at my sisters. They had the same vacant look on their faces that I am sure I had on mine. We agreed to meet back downstairs in five minutes to go over to see Esme. I took my bags upstairs and opened the door to my room. It looked exactly the same. Charlie was never one for change.

When I was sixteen he helped me paint my walls a dark purple. I told him all the rock stars have dark rooms. He just laughed and we spent two days painting. I think we got more paint on each other than on the walls. I hung black curtains in the windows and posters of my favorite rock bands were all over the walls. I had one wall that was covered with concert tickets, album covers, magazine articles. It was my room. I missed it. I set my luggage by my bed and went to clean up. Spending twenty hours in the car did not help me stay fresh. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and went downstairs to meet Rose and Alice. They were waiting for me by the front door. We didn't say a word to each other as we walked out of the house and went next door.

The Cullen's house was pretty much like ours except that theirs had a red front door. We used to run between the two houses with the Cullen boys all day. Everyday after school, we would come over to the Cullen's house. Esme would have a snack ready for us. The six of us would eat quickly and then run outside to play. It never mattered that it rained nearly all the time here. It was just a way of life. We walked up the porch and were about to knock when the door opened and Esme Cullen threw her arms around us.

"My girls are home," squealed Esme. She was still the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, besides the pictures of Renee. She had long auburn hair and bright green eyes. "I missed you girls."

"We missed you too, Esme," I whispered.

"You look great, Esme," squealed Alice.

"So do you girls," said Esme. "Come on in."

"How is everything going, Esme?" asked Rosalie.

"It's ok. My business is doing well. I have had a few pictures in People and Time," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"We saw those. They were great," I said as I followed her into the living room. Carlisle was pacing back and forth on the phone. He looked up and saw us and smiled.

"Well, why don't you ask her yourself," said Carlisle. He handed me the phone and chuckled.

"Hello?" I said, confused.

"B," said the velvet voice of my best friend and love.

"E," I whispered as I fell to my knees and let my tears fall. "Where are you?"

"We are in London. We just got done with our show. I tried to call your cell but I think you forgot to charge it again. I thought I would see if Carlisle had heard from you. I miss you, love."

"I miss you too."

"How is Charlie?" asked Edward. I heard everyone leave to give us a few minutes alone.

"Same as usual," I sighed. "He looks too thin. I think he is giving up."

"I'm sorry I am not there with you, B," whispered Edward.

"I know you are but you couldn't cancel your tour. We are going to hang around here for a while. Ang arranged for us to have some time off," I said.

"Love, I have to go. We are fixing to get on the bus to leave for Paris. I love you, B," whispered Edward.

"I love you too, E," I whispered before I hung up the phone. I stood up slowly and wiped my tears off my face. I went into the kitchen where I found everyone all talking. I handed Carlisle his cell phone. "Thanks. I really needed to hear his voice."

"I think he was needing to hear yours also," chuckled Carlisle.

"Where are they?" asked Alice.

"They were fixing to get on the bus to leave London for Paris," I said. "I am sure you both will be getting phone calls soon."

"I miss J," sighed Alice.

"I know. I miss Em, too," said Rosalie.

"I miss E. I wish they were here," I said. "But they should be back soon."

"Come on, girls, lets eat," said Esme.

We followed Esme over to the table and sat down in our usual spots. Esme had made roasted chicken and baked potatoes. It was one of my favorite foods.

"So, girls, how long are you here for?" asked Carlisle.

"For awhile. We have arranged to have a few months off at least. Guess it depends on how everything with Charlie goes," I said.

"What have you been doing lately?" asked Esme.

"We have been in Toronto shooting our new music video. B shot the last scene last night so we jumped in the car and drove straight down," said Rose.

"I was starting to think that asshole, James, wasn't ever going to wrap," I grumbled.

"I still can't believe he wouldn't let you out of your contract to stay with Charlie," said Esme.

"I know. We won't work with him again," said Alice. "Besides, he's kind of creepy."

"Yeah, we were glad to be done with him," I said as we ate.

"It will be nice for you to have some time off," said Esme. "You all look exhausted."

"Gee, thanks Esme," I chuckled.

"You know what I mean, Isabella," chuckled Esme.

"I know," I said.

"I think we all are looking forward to some time off," said Rosalie.

"I know I am," chuckled Alice.

"Well, girls, I think maybe you should get home and get some sleep," said Esme.

"Ok, we love you," we said together.

We hugged them both goodbye and went home. Rose, Alice and I went straight to our rooms. I changed into my favorite t-shirt of Edward's and plugged my cell phone in so it could charge. I looked around and noticed that one of my suitcases was gone. I must have left it in the car. I climbed into my bed and cried myself to sleep. I missed Charlie and Edward. I had a feeling something bad was going to happen.

_I looked around and found myself in a small meadow. I recognized it immediately. This is where Charlie always brought us when we had picnics. I sat on the ground and brought my knees up to my chest. I felt someone sit down next to me. I looked over and saw Charlie smiling at me._

"_Daddy, what are you doing here?" I asked as I hugged him._

"_I came to see my mini me," chuckled Charlie._

"_I miss you, Daddy," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye._

"_Hey, no crying," said Charlie. "I miss my girls too."_

"_Daddy, who did this to you?" I asked._

"_That damn wolf is trying to get to my beautiful Swan," whispered Charlie._

"_What?" I asked confused._

"_You promise me that you will stay away from the wolf, Bells," said Charlie._

"_What wolf?" I asked again. "Daddy, you aren't making any sense."_

"_I have to go now. Your momma is waiting for me," chuckled Charlie. _

"_No, Daddy, please stay with me. I need you," I sobbed._

"_You let Edward take care of you. Those Cullen boys are good boys. I know they will take care of my girls," said Charlie as he stood up. _

"_Please Daddy, stay with us."_

"_I can't, baby. Your momma is waiting for me," said Charlie as he started walking away. I jumped up and tried to follow him but he walked faster than me._

"_NOOOOO, DADDY. COME BACK!" I screamed._

"B, wake up. You are having a nightmare," yelled Rose as she shook my shoulders. I snapped my eyes open and looked around my room.

"Rosie, Ali, we have to go to the hospital now," I said as I jumped out of the bed. "Come on, go change."

"B, calm down," said Alice.

"No, we have to go. We can't let him leave us," I cried as I pulled on my jeans and shoes.

"Ok, B. Lets go," said Rose.

Rose, Alice and I ran downstairs and jumped into the car after they pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. We speed over to the hospital. It was the middle of the night. I know visiting hours were over but I knew we had to be here. We jumped out of the car and ran into the hospital. We quickly made our way to the elevator. As soon as we got to the third floor, I saw Carlisle come out of Charlie's room. He had tears in his eyes. I knew we were to late. I ran into Charlie's room and threw myself on him.

"DADDY, NO! PLEASE COME BACK. YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME," I screamed as I clung on to his body.

"Bella, dear, calm down," said Carlisle as he tried to pull me off of him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE,"I screamed. "DADDY, PLEASE COME BACK."

"Bella, you need to calm down, honey," said Carlisle as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me off my father's body. I heard Rosalie and Alice sobbing behind me but I couldn't focus on them.

"NOOOO!" I screamed as I thrashed against Carlisle's arms. I screamed again as I faded into the darkness.

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**Thank you so much for all the reviews. Keep them coming!**


	4. Chapter 4

I slowly opened my eyes. My throat hurt from my screaming. My head hurt from crying so hard. I looked around and found myself in Edward's room. I stood up slowly and looked around. His room was exactly the same. His walls were a dark gold color. He had posters and pictures of his favorite bands all over his walls. I chuckled when I saw one of me, Rose and Alice. I went over to his desk and picked up a picture of me and Edward from our senior prom. I felt a tear fall down face when I saw how happy we looked. I set the picture down and went downstairs. I heard Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Rose in the kitchen. I slowly walked into the kitchen. They all turned and look at me. Alice and Rose ran over and threw their arms around me. We stood together and sobbed for several minutes. None of us were able to say anything. After a few minutes we pulled apart.

"B, are you ok?" whispered Rose.

"No, I'm not," I said softly.

"You scared us, B," whispered Alice.

"I'm sorry I scared you," I said softly. "I didn't mean to."

"Bella, dear, are you feeling ok now?" asked Carlisle.

"I'm fine. How long was I out?" I said as I looked around. Carlisle and Esme looked like they had been up for hours.

"About ten hours. I was starting to get worried about you, dear," said Carlisle as he pulled me into his arms.

"I'm sorry I acted like that," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

"It's ok. You were upset," said Carlisle. "You need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry," I whispered as I sat down at the table and pulled my knees to my chest.

"Bella, you need to eat," said Esme. I started to respond but someone beat me to it.

"She'll eat when she is ready," said Edward. I turned and saw him, Emmett and Jasper standing in the doorway.

"E?" I cried as I threw myself in his arms.

Edward caught me and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He carried me upstairs to his room and laid me on his bed. He climbed on to the bed next to me and pulled me into his arms. He held me while I sobbed into his chest. I felt so at home in his arms. He whispered in my ear that everything was going to be ok. He whispered how much he loves me. After about an hour, I was able to collect myself. I reached up and pressed my lips against his.

"How did you get here so fast?" I asked.

"I had a dream on the bus ride to Paris. Charlie told me that you needed us to come back. As soon as we stopped, we caught the first plane back to the states. Carlisle called when we hit New York with the news. I'm so sorry, love," whispered Edward.

"He came to me last night in a dream. He said Renee was waiting for him. I begged him to stay," I whispered. "How could he leave us?"

"He knew you would be ok. He and Renee need to be together now," said Edward.

"I know. I just miss him so much," I cried.

"I know you do. I miss him too," whispered Edward.

"E?" I whispered.

"Yes, love."

"I love you."

"I love you too," whispered Edward as my stomach growled. "Let's go get something to eat."

"Ok," I chuckled.

Edward and I slowly made our way downstairs. We walked into the kitchen and found everyone sitting around the table talking. Rose was sitting in Emmett's lap while he rubbed her back as she cried. Alice was sitting in Jasper's lap. He was running his hand through her hair. They looked up at me and I smiled softly. I sat down at the table while Edward made us a sandwich. He set the turkey sandwich in front of me and picked me up and set me in his lap.

"You ok, B?" asked Emmett.

"Yeah, I'm ok," I said as I ate my sandwich.

"Bella, Rose and Alice said you had a dream last night and insisted that you had to come to the hospital. How did you know?" asked Carlisle.

"Charlie came to me last night in my dream. We were sitting in the meadow where we always have picnics. He said he missed us but he had to go because Renee was waiting for him. I asked him who shot him and he said 'that damn wolf is trying to get my beautiful Swan'. He made me promise not to go near the wolf. I begged him to stay with us but he said he had to go to Renee," I explained as I felt my tears falling down my face. "I knew we had to get to the hospital but we were too late."

"What the hell does the wolf mean?" asked Rose.

"I don't know but I am going to find out who killed him," I said.

"Bella, the police will find out who did it," said Esme.

"They haven't done a very good job so far have they," I said harshly. "Who ever shot Charlie set him up. I am going to find out who it was. If you all won't help me then I will do it alone."

"B, calm down. We will help you," said Emmett.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"B, we need to go to the funeral home and get everything set up," said Rosalie.

"Ok, let's go," I said.

We all loaded up in our cars and headed to the funeral home. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Carlisle and Esme insisted on coming with us. Carlisle already had a copy of Charlie's will so we knew exactly what Charlie wanted. The director was very polite to us. We picked out the casket, the flowers and the music. Charlie wanted me to sing. It was going to be hard to sing for him but I knew I could do it. Reverend Weber was going to perform his funeral the next morning. We wanted to get it done with.

As we walked out of the funeral home, we were bombarded with news reporters and photographers. They were shouting out questions left and right asking us how we were, if they had found any leads. It was frustrating to have them in our faces the whole time. We managed to make our way through the press and climb into our cars. We made our way back to the house and went inside. The police had setup barricade's at the end of the street to keep the press away from the houses.

We spent the rest of the day being visited by people from the community. Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley came by with his parents, Karen and Mike Sr. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to come to see us. He stalked me for years while Jessica was too busy calling me a freak. I avoided them. I knew I was going to have to talk to him sooner or later but the day my father died was not the day for the conversation we needed to have.

All day we had people come up to us and tell us how sorry they were and how they wish could have helped us more. It took a lot of self control not to roll my eyes at most of them. Edward never left my side. He kept his arm wrapped around my waist and held me as I dealt with everyone. It wasn't until I saw Ben and Angela come up to me and wrapped their arms around me that I felt any bit of comfort from any of our visitors.

"Bella, honey, we are so sorry," whispered Angela.

"I know, Ang. I miss him so much," I cried.

"I know you do. He was a great father. He loved you three so much," whispered Angela.

"We should have been here these last few months," I said as I pulled away. "We should have told James to go straight to hell."

"We both know Charlie wouldn't have wanted you to do that, Bella," said Ben.

"I know but I don't care. He gave up everything for us. We should have done the same."

"Bella, Charlie would not have wanted you to stop living your life because of him," said Angela softly. "He told me when Ben and I got married that we had to live everyday to the fullest. He wouldn't want you to give anything up."

"We aren't coming back to LA until we find out who killed him," I whispered as I pulled Ben, Angela and Edward into an empty room.

"What do you mean?" said Ben.

"I mean that I am going to find the bastard that shot him. Someone set him up. They somehow got him to come to that store where they shot him. They left him to die," I said quietly. "Look I know this is going to sound crazy but Charlie came to me last night in my dreams. I asked him who shot him and he said 'that damn wolf is trying to get to my beautiful swan'. He gave me a clue. I just can't figure out what it means."

"He meant that someone is after you, Bella," said Ben.

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**Please go read 'The Wild Side' by GreenEyedTempation and 'Fictionista's Daily WitFit Challenge' by Scarlet Nite. They both can be found under my favorite Storys. Please read them and let them know how you like them. It takes a lot of courage to put yourself out there this this and we all need the encouragement. Thank you for all the reviews so far. I hope you are enjoying this story. **


	5. Chapter 5

"What?" snapped Edward.

"Think about it. Bella means beautiful in Italian," said Ben.

"Why would anyone be after me? Have any fans threatened me?" I asked. Was this all about me?

"No, but I don't think it has anything to do with your music. The music community knows you as Isabella, not Bella," said Ben.

"We have to get you out of here, B," said Edward suddenly.

"What? I am not going anywhere," I said.

"B, look, we know that who ever was looking for you is from Forks. They may try to attack you while you are here," whispered Edward. I could see the fear in his eyes.

"E, I am not running. We have no reason to suspect that this person is even after me," I snapped.

"B, why are you being so fucking stubborn?" yelled Edward. "I can't fucking lose you."

"Stop being so fucking dramatic, E. You aren't going to lose me." I yelled back. "I am not going to fucking run away and hide just because you are afraid."

"What the fuck is going on in here?" bellowed Emmett from the door. I turned around and saw Jasper, Alice, Rose, Carlisle and Esme standing next to Emmett with confused looks on their faces.

"Nothing," I muttered.

"B, it is not nothing," snapped Edward before he turned back to our family. "Ben thinks who ever killed Charlie is after B."

"What?" screeched Rose and Alice as they came running over to me.

"Why do you think that, Ben?" asked Carlisle, calmly while holding a terrified looking Esme in his arms.

"I think that the clue Charlie gave Bella refers to her. Bella means beautiful in Italian," explained Ben.

"B, go pack. We are leaving in ten minutes," ordered Jasper.

"Fuck you. I am not leaving," I yelled.

"You are not staying here where some crazy fucker is after you either," yelled Emmett.

"B, they are right. We need to go into hiding," said Rosalie.

"Charlie wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger, B," whispered Alice.

"NO!" I screamed. "I AM NOT FUCKING LEAVING."

I turned and ran from the house. I went back to Charlie's and ran straight up to my room. I threw myself on my bed and let my tears pour from my eyes. They didn't understand. I had to do this. This was my only chance to have some closure. The police were never going to find out who killed Charlie. It had been three months and they hadn't figured it out yet. A few moments later, I felt Edward wrap his arms around me.

"I can't leave. I have to be here," I whispered.

"Love, I can't lose you. Please, baby?" whispered Edward through his tears. I turned and looked at him. I could see how hard this wad for him but I had to make him understand.

"Baby, I have to do this. I have to be able to say goodbye to Charlie tomorrow. I have to find out who killed him. Look, I promise not to go anywhere alone. You and I will be together forever," I whispered as I wiped his tears off his face. "Please, baby?"

"Fine, but if I even think this fucker is getting too close we are leaving. I don't want any fucking arguing from you," said Edward.

"Deal. I promise not to argue with you," I said as I laid my head on his chest. "I'm so glad you are here, E."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, love," whispered Edward. "The last few months have been fucking horrible without you."

"For me as well, my love," I whispered. "I don't like being apart from you."

"You should have listened to me and combined our bands," chuckled Edward.

"Whatever. Em and Rosie were fighting like a couple of fucking school girls. We couldn't have them in the same room together without them fighting," I chuckled.

"Hey, Rosie has a nice right hook," chuckled Edward.

"Charlie taught us well," I chuckled. "I got to kick Kellan Lutz through a glass window in the last shot of our video."

"Really?" chuckled Edward. "I can't wait to see that."

"I am sure it will be on the air soon. James will want to take advantage of the publicity around Charlie's death," I grumbled.

"That he will, fucking asshole," grumbled Edward.

"We have decided we aren't working with him anymore. We are going to find a new director."

"Good, I didn't like him. He likes to look at your ass too much," said Edward.

"Can't really blame him. I do have a fantastic ass," I chuckled.

"That you do, love," chuckled Edward as he reached down and grabbed my ass. "I have missed it."

"Well, why don't you fucking show me how much you missed my ass," I whispered as I straddled him.

Edward crushed his lips to mine. I reached down and began to unbutton his shirt. As soon as I had it completely undone I slipped it off of his shoulders. I ran my hands over his marbled chest. I could never get enough of it. Edward pulled off my shirt and rolled us so that he was hovering over me. He lowered his lips to my nipple and sucked it into his mouth. I moaned when I felt him pull on it with his teeth. He knows exactly how to manipulate my body. He reached down and pulled my jeans and panties off in one swift move. He looked up and gave me his crooked smile and lowered his mouth onto my throbbing, wet core.

I bucked my hips slightly at the contact. It has been way too long since he had tasted me. He darted his tongue in and out of me fast and hard. I felt him suck on my clit as he inserted two fingers into me. I could feel the tension building in my stomach as he thrust his fingers into me harder and faster. I felt my walls clench around his fingers.

"Fuck," I moaned as I came hard.

Edward kissed his way up my body until he kissed me hard. I reached down and undid his thick leather belt and jeans. I used my feet to help me pull them down his hips. He threw them off and kicked his boxers off. He kissed me again as he positioned himself between my legs. He pushed into me quickly. He stilled for a moment to let me adjust to his size. My man was big. He slowly pulled out and pushed back in hard.

"Fuck, B. You are so fucking tight," he moaned. "You feel so fucking good."

"I love the feel of your cock in my wet pussy, E," I moaned as Edward pulled out and pushed into me harder. "Fuck me harder, E."

Edward just kissed me before he pulled my legs up and put them on his shoulders. He started fucking the shit out of me. He pushed in as deep as he could. I raked my nails on his back softly and felt him shutter. He began to go faster and faster. I knew he was getting close to his release. I was almost ready to come for the second time. I pulled his mouth to mine and moaned as I my walls clamped onto him causing him to spill inside of me as his body shuttered.

"I love you, B," whispered Edward as he rolled off of me and pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, E," I whispered softly.

Edward pulled the blanket over us. I knew everything would be ok as long as I have Edward with me. We fell asleep wrapped in each others arms.

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**Thank you for all the great reviews. I know this chapter is short but they will pick back up!**


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up the next morning before Edward did. I slipped on Edward's shirt and boxers from the night before and went downstairs to start the coffee. I had just poured our cups when I heard the front door open. I turned around and saw Rose, Alice, Emmett and Jasper come into the house. They looked over at me dressed in Edward's clothes and started snickering to themselves.

"Hey, guys," I mumbled. "What some coffee?"

"Sure," smirked Rosalie as they came into the kitchen. "Nice shirt, dear sister."

"Thanks," I said, rolling my eyes. It's not like they don't know that Edward and I have sex. "Don't act like you and Em didn't fuck last night. You are positively glowing, Rosie."

"At least, you didn't have to hear them last night, B," snickered Alice. "Oh, Em, fuck me harder and faster, baby."

"Ali, shut the fuck up. We heard you and J last night. 'Oh J, baby. Right there.' It made me sick," chuckled Rosalie.

"Don't be jealous, Rosie. I am sure Em will learn something from me," snickered Jasper.

"J, please tell me you didn't cry again last night when you finally came," chuckled Edward as he came into the kitchen wearing only his jeans. I couldn't help but ogle him for a minute. They were hanging low on his hips. "Morning, love."

"Morning, E. Here is a cup of Joe," I said handing him his coffee.

"Thanks, Beautiful," said Edward before he kissed me.

I threw my free arms around his neck and plunged my tongue into his mouth. We suddenly heard everyone laughing behind us. We broke apart and I realized Edward's hand has slipped down inside his boxers to my ass.

"Don't be jealous, fuckers," I said, rolling my eyes at them. "E can give you boys some tips."

"Like what, how to molest your girlfriend in front of your brothers and sisters?" snickered Emmett.

"No, I was thinking about this thing E does with his tongue," I said as I chill ran through my body. "Totally amazing. Makes me cum at least three times."

"Remember when B used to be shy and blush all the time?" chuckled Jasper.

"That was before they stopped being stubborn and started fucking," snickered Emmett.

"Em, do you always have to be so vulgar? A few times we make love and then fuck," I chuckled.

"As interesting as this conversation is, we need to discuss where we are going to hide B at," said Emmett seriously.

"I am not leaving," I said simply.

"B, why are you being so fucking stubborn?" asked Rose.

"Rosie, I am not leaving. E and I made a deal. If he feels at anytime that this fucker is getting too close then I will leave with him but I am not running like a fucking girl scout. I will not let him control me like that."

"B, Rosie and I can't lose you too. We have already lost Charlie and Renee. Please don't be stubborn just so you can act like a tough bitch," said Alice.

"Ali, Rosie, I lost my parents too. I am not trying to be a tough bitch. I need to do this. I need this closure," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye. "Please."

"Fine, but if we have to tie your scrawny ass up, we will," said Rose.

"You can't go anywhere alone. That goes for you and Ali too, Rosie. We are with you at all times," said Emmett.

"Deal, Em. I promise," I said as I stood up. "I am going to go shower and get ready for the funeral. Want to join me, E?"

"As much as I want to, I don't have my clothes here. I will be back in ten minutes," chuckled Edward.

"Me too, Rosie," said Emmett.

"Ali, I will be back too," said Jasper.

The three of them left the house and we all went upstairs to shower. I turned the shower on as hot as it could get. I pulled off Edward's shirt and boxers and stepped into the hot water. I let the water run over all of my muscles. I know the others are worried about me but I could handle myself. If this guy was really after me, I wasn't going to run. This may be the only shot we have of getting him. I quickly washed my hair and shaved my legs. I turned the water off and dried off. I wrapped my towel around my body and went out to my room. I went over to my closet and pulled out my black wrap dress and black heels. I slipped in a pair of black hipsters and a black lacy bra. I went and dried my hair and put on a little bit of make-up. I slipped on my dress and heels and went downstairs. Alice and Rose were sitting on the couch with Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme. Carlisle and Esme came over to me and hugged me.

"We won't let him get you, Sweetheart," said Carlisle.

"I know," I whispered.

"It's going to be ok. I promise," said Esme just as someone knocked on the door. Edward jumped up on his feet and went to open it.

"It's the limo," said Edward as he pulled the door open. He turned and spoke to the driver. "We will be right out."

"Let's go guys," I whispered softly.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and led me out to the limo. I could see the photographers and reporters from the porch. I climbed in first, then Rose, Alice Esme, Edward, Emmett, Jasper and finally Carlisle. Edward pulled me into his lap as Emmett and Jasper did the same with Rose and Alice. We rode to the church in silence. Once we got to the church, we climbed out of the limo. The press was pushed back by police barricades. It took all my self control not to flip them off or at least scream at them to leave us the fuck alone. Instead I just ran into the church with my family on my heels. Once we got inside, we were led to a small room, where we would wait for the funeral to start. Reverend Weber came in and offered us his condolences. We thanked him for everything he has done and he left to get started.

A few minutes later, we walked into the sanctuary. We took our seats in the front row and listened to Reverend Weber start the service. I looked around and noticed that the church was packed. I had a chill run through me when I realized his killer could be in the room with us. I scooted a little closer to Edward. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder. Reverend Weber read a few passages from the bible and gave a small eulogy about Charlie. He talked about what a wonderful father he was. How he loved his girls. I could hear Alice and Rose sobbing with me. He talked about how Charlie was a dedicated police officer and friend. After a few minutes of this, he invited me to come up and sing. I took a deep breath before went up and sat down at the piano. I took a deep breath and began playing a song that I wrote for Charlie when we first started playing.

"He never complained when we dressed him up

He never whined about our make-up

He never said we weren't good enough

He never said we weren't strong enough

Daddy, don't stop loving us

Daddy, don't fighting for us

Daddy, please stand beside us

Daddy, oh, daddy, don't leave us

He always fixed our hair with a smile and not a frown

He always said we could do everything

He always said he would never stop loving us

He always told us not to give up

Daddy, don't stop loving us

Daddy, don't fighting for us

Daddy, please stand beside us

Daddy, oh, daddy, don't leave us

Daddy, don't stop loving us

Daddy, don't fighting for us

Daddy, please stand beside us

Daddy, oh, daddy, don't leave us"

"I love you, Daddy," I whispered before I went and sat next to Edward again.

He wrapped his arms around me as I let the tears fall down my face. I knew Charlie would have liked that song. When we were little he would spend hours chasing us through the house trying to give us kisses and hugs. We would squeal and try to run from him but we always let him catch us. We would squeeze his checks in between our hands and give him butterfly kisses. After a few more songs, and scriptures, we said another prayer. We made our way back out to the limo and went to lay Charlie to rest next to my mother. The pallbearers, that consisted of his deputies from the police station, loaded Charlie's casket into the back of the hearse and we followed them in silence.

When we got to cemetery, we all climbed out and took our seats. Reverend Weber offered yet another prayer and scripture. Rose, Alice and I held hands as we walked up to Charlie's casket and gently laid a lily on top. He always told us how lily's were our mother's favorite flower. I let out a sob as I whispered a final goodbye to my father. Edward laid his lily next to mine and promised to take care of me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and led me to where the others were standing sobbing into the arms of their loved ones. I saw Ben and Angela lay their lilies next. Charlie loved them both so much. Mike and Jessica went next. Edward tightened his grip on my waist to stop me from going over to them. I knew this wasn't the time.

For the next fifteen minutes I saw people Rose, Alice and I went to school with pretend to give a crap about us and Charlie. These were the same people who said Charlie was doing something wrong when he sent us to see Esme when we needed a woman to talk to. These were the same people who teased us every mother's day about not having one until the year that Charlie came to our mother's day program. I was sitting back stage crying after Jessica Stanley said that my mother died because of me when I felt Charlie pull me into his arms. He said he was my mother and he loved the card I made him. That shut that bitch up pretty quickly.

The rest of the day was spent at the Cullen house. Hundred's of people came in and out of the house. I tried to eat a little but I just didn't have much of an appetite. All of our teachers from high school came by. We made small talk for a few minutes. Most people had the common sense not to mention our music but a few people weren't as bright. I saw Lauren Mallory and Tyler Crowley talking to Carlisle and Esme. She looked over at me and blushed before she turned away. I could barely hold in my chuckle at what had happened a few days ago. She didn't try to talk to any of us at least. A few people from the record company came up from LA. It was a nice gesture. Ben and Angela left to fly back to LA a few hours after the funeral. They were still working on clearing our schedules for awhile.

After a few hours of being polite and making small talk with people I didn't even know, the eight of us were left alone. I wanted to go back to Charlie's for the night so Edward, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice and I walked over to the house. We had just stepped on the porch when I found a vase of blush roses sitting on the porch. I picked up the card and let out a bloodcurdling scream as I read it. All I could think about are the words on the card, '_**Roses are red, Violets are blue. Once day soon you, my beautiful Swan, will be mine.' **_I felt my knees give out as I faded in to the darkness.

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**Thank you all so much for all the great reviews! I am so glad you are enjoying this story so far. **


	7. Chapter 7

My eyes felt heavy as I struggled to wake up. I reached up and felt someone grab my hand. I snapped my eyes open and found myself laying on the couch at the Cullen house. Edward was holding me in his arms as he let his tears fall.

"What happened?" I whispered.

"You passed out after you read the card," whispered Edward. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry, E," I whispered as I kissed him softly. "I'm ok."

"B?" whispered Rose and Alice. I looked over at them.

"Are you ok?" asked Rose. I could see the worry and fear all over everyone's faces.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry for scaring you," I said as I sat up. "How long was I out?"

"Just an hour or so," said Carlisle as he and Esme came back into the room with a tray of tea. "Are you sure you are ok?"

"I'm fine," I said again. "Have you called the police?"

"No," said Emmett.

"Good, we can't call them," I said softly.

"I knew you were going to be difficult," grumbled Edward.

"E, if we call the police, the press will find out. It could ruin us," I said as I stroked his cheek.

"I don't fucking give a damn about our fucking careers. He could hurt you," snapped Edward.

"All he is doing now is playing a fucking game," I snapped back as I stood up.

"A game? He could have fucking been in the house. He knows where you live, B," yelled Edward. "We have to leave."

"No, everyone in town knows where I live. It has been all over the news. We can't leave," I yelled back at him.

"B, come on," snapped Jasper. "You can't sit here and play this fucking game with him."

"J, we have no idea who is even after me. We need to figure out who it is so we can put them behind bars," I said.

"It is not worth risking your life, B," said Edward.

"I am not risking my life. Who ever this fucker is went through Charlie to get to me. If I run now, what is going to stop him from hurting one of you?" I said as a tear fell down my face. "Besides, it's not like I can hide so easily."

"B, please, I can't lose you," whispered Edward.

"Baby, you aren't going to lose me, I promise," I whispered as I pulled him into my arms

.

"Bella is right. I think we need to work together to figure out who is after her," said Carlisle.

"Fine," sighed Edward. "Where do we start?"

"The first thing we need to do is make a list of anyone who could be a threat to B," said Jasper.

"Mike Newton," I said.

"Why is he a threat?" asked Esme.

"He stalked me through most of high school. He could never accept that I didn't want to be with him," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Jessica Stanley," said Edward. "She hated B because she felt like B kept me from dating her."

"Lauren Mallory," said Alice. "She was always a bitch."

"I don't think it was Lauren. I mean, look how she gushed over us the other day," I said.

"That's true, Bella, but I don't think the person who is after you because they hate you," said Emmett.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"B, they left you a dozen roses with a card that said you would be theirs," explained Emmett.

"Oh," I whispered. I felt fear for the first time and I struggled not to let them see it. "I don't think it would be Jessica then."

"You can't know that," said Alice.

"That is so gross," I said with a shutter.

"So where do we start?" asked Esme.

"Do we know what florist the flowers came from?" I asked.

"Yes, they came from Marcus' in Port Angles. We called but they were closed," said Rose. "We are driving over tomorrow to find out if they can tell us who ordered the flowers."

"Good. What time are we leaving?" I asked.

"You are staying here," said Edward.

"Like hell I am," I snapped.

"B, please, you need to stay here where I know you are safe," whispered Edward.

"No, E. I will be safe with all of you," I said.

"So fucking stubborn," muttered Edward. "Fine."

"Thank you, E," I said as I hugged him. "Let's go to bed."

"Ok, B. Night all," said Edward as he pulled me into his arms.

Edward led me upstairs to his room. We stripped out of our clothes and climbed into bed. We made love slowly for hours. I could feel every inch of Edward inside of me. I knew he was afraid I was going to get hurt. I could feel his fear rolling off of him. He was desperate and needy with every thrust, every touch. We came together violently clinging to each other. We fell asleep wrapped in each others arms. Our arms and legs connected.

I woke up the next morning feeling Edward's lips on my back. He would suck and lick his way up and down my back. I felt my body shutter slightly. Edward chuckled as he moved up to my ear.

"B, love, we need to get up and get ready," whispered Edward against the back of my neck. I could feel him hovering over me. I lifted my ass and ground it into his hard cock. He hissed as he pressed himself against me. "You're being a tease and unless you plan on finishing what you start, I would stop now."

I pushed him over on to his back and climbed onto his chest. I slowly started moving my body down his. I leaned in and whispered into his ear, "I don't tease, my love."

I kissed him hard then dropped down and took his cock in my mouth. He trusts his hips slightly from the initial contact of my lips on his cock. I sucked and used my tongue to massage his staff. He was so big that I couldn't take all of him in, so I used my free hand to wrap around the base of his cock and stroke him in the opposite direction as my mouth. I felt Edward weave his fingers in my hair as he guided my mouth on his cock.

"Fuck…B….so…good….fuck," He grunted. I could tell he was getting close so I quickened my pace. "B, love…going to….fuck…cum."

I simply moaned lightly sending the vibration through his cock. He gripped the back of my head as he shot stream after stream of cum in to my mouth. It was sweet and salty. I licked and sucked him clean as I swallowed every drop. I kissed my way back up his body and kissed him hard.

"Come on. We need to shower and get dressed," I said.

I jumped out of the bed and made my way toward the bathroom. I felt Edward scoop me up into his arms and carry me into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, and helped me in before he stepped in with me. I could feel his hands begin to roam my body as we stepped into the shower. I couldn't help the moan that escaped me as I felt his cock harden behind against me. I 'accidentally' dropped my shower pouf, so I bent over and rubbed my ass against his cock. He grabbed my hips roughly and slammed his cock into me hard.

"Fuck," we both moaned at the contact. He thrust hard into me as I braced myself against the wall. I could feel his balls slamming against my clit with each thrust.

"Oh fuck. Harder E, I need to cum," I begged as I felt the tension beginning to build.

Edward wrapped an arm around my waist as he slipped a hand down to pinch my throbbing bundle of nerves. I could tell he was close to his own release, so I started thrusting against him causing us both to let go and climax at the same time, screaming each others names. Edward turned me around and kissed me hard. We quickly finished cleaning each other. We dried each other off and went back to get dressed. Of course then I realized I didn't have any clothes here.

"E, I need to go to Charlie's and get dressed. Will you come with me?" I asked.

"Of course I will, love," said Edward as he slipped on his jeans and black t-shirt.

I slipped on a pair of Edward's shorts and a t-shirt. We went downstairs and found the others in the living room. They all started snickering at us when they saw me in Edward's clothes again.

"B, don't you ever where your own clothes?" chuckled Emmett.

"Why should she when she looks fucking hot in my clothes?" smirked Edward. "Although she looks even better out of them."

"Edward, you do know that your mother and I are sitting right here?" chuckled Carlisle.

"Yes," said Edward. "I can't help it if she is a sex vixen."

"Thanks, E," I chuckled. "We are going to the house so I can put my own clothes on. We will be back in a few minutes."

"Ok, hurry back," said Rose.

Edward and I quickly made our way next door to Charlie's house. I noticed that the press had left for now at least. We went upstairs and I pulled on a pair of tight ripped jeans and a black t-shirt with red cherries on it. I put on my black leather heels and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I added my black leather motorcycle jacket and black leather belt. I heard Edward let out a moan when I came out of the closest. I just chuckled lightly and kissed him.

"Let's go," I chuckled as I pulled him out of the room.

"You are a tease," moaned Edward.

"I told you I am not a tease. I always fulfill my promises. I promise to let you fuck me as hard as you want later but for now we need to get to Port Angeles," I said as I kissed my way along Edward's neck.

"Fine but tonight your sweet little ass is all mine," groaned Edward as he picked me up by my ass and wrapped my legs around his waist.

"That is a promise, my love," I chuckled as I kissed him hard.

"Let's go," grumbled Edward as he carried me out the door.

He kept my legs wrapped around his waist as he carried me into his house. The others just started laughing at us. I flipped them off and told them to get in the car. Carlisle and Esme were going to stay here while the rest of us went to Port Angeles. Carlisle had a shift at the hospital and Esme was going to go with him. I was glad they weren't going to be alone. I couldn't handle losing them too. We loaded into Carlisle's excursion and headed of to Port Angles. I was a little scared of what we would find out.

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	8. Chapter 8

We talked a little about the boy's tour in Europe and of our music video. They all thought it was funny that I got to beat the crap out of Kellan. I have to admit it was fun. Before I knew it, we were pulling up in front of Marcus's flower shop. We all climbed out and went inside. The shop was full of roses, lilacs, lilies and every other type of flowers you could think of. We walked up to the counter and I rang the bell. A few minutes later an older gentleman came out from the back. He had long silver hair pulled back into a ponytail and dark gray eyes. He looked at the six of us for a moment before he smiled and came up to us.

"How may I help you today?" said the gentleman.

"Are you Marcus?" I asked.

"Yes, my dear, I am," he said. "How may I help you, Miss Swan?"

"You know who I am?" I asked surprised.

"My dear, everyone in the country knows you and your friends. I was saddened to hear about your father's passing," he said softly.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now what can I do for you?" he asked.

"I received a dozen blush roses from your shop yesterday evening. I was wondering if you could tell me who sent them," I explained.

"Let me see," said Marcus. He started typing on his computer. A few minutes later he looked at us and frowned. "I'm sorry, dear. He sent the order to me online. All I have is an email address. He paid with a visa gift card."

"Did they tell you what to put on the card?" asked Edward.

"No, he didn't order a card," said Marcus.

"Where did they have the flower's delivered to?" asked Jasper.

"The person had the flowers sent to the hospital in Forks. The delivery was signed for by Lauren Mallory. To your father's room. The order was placed the day before your father passed away," explained Marcus.

"Thank you for your help. Would you mind writing down the email address for us please?" I asked.

"Of course," said Marcus as he scribbled it down. He held it out to me. "Good luck finding your mystery man, my dear."

"What makes you think it is a man?" I asked.

"Only a man would order a dozen blush roses," said Marcus.

"Thank you," I said taking the paper from him.

We thanked him and left his shop. We climbed back into the car and headed off to grab some lunch. We decided to go into a small Italian restaurant, called La Bella Italia. We parked the car and made our way inside. We walked up to the hostess and she looked at us and gasped. She opened her mouth a few times but couldn't seem to get the words out. Finally, she just let out a loud squeal.

"OH MY GOD! I AM SUCH A BIG FAN OF YOURS!" squealed the hostess.

"Us or them?" I chuckled as I pointed to Edward, Emmett and Jasper. They were all snickering under their breaths.

"Oh, both of yours," she gushed as she blushed a bright red.

"Well, thanks. We need a private table for six," I said.

"Oh, of course, please right this way," She said as she grabbed our menus.

She led us to a large table in the back of the restaurant. I could hear people whispering to themselves as we walked by. I could barely contain my chuckle when I heard them. Once we got to our table, we sat down while the hostess just stood there watching us. I just cleared my throat lightly and she jumped and said our waitress would be with us in a moment. Once she was gone we all started laughing. Our waitress came running over to our table. She looked like she might explode from the excitement. We ordered our drinks and lunch. Once she was gone, we discussed what we had learned.

"So what do we do next?" I sighed.

"I think we need to go talk to Lauren at the hospital. She signed for the delivery. She should be able to tell us who picked it up," said Rose.

"I don't get it. Why would this person go through the trouble of sending the flowers to the hospital. It's like they want us to find them but at the same time they are trying to cover their tracks," said Alice.

"I don't get it either," I sighed. "Why go through Charlie in the first place?"

"Maybe Charlie learned that this person was after you. I bet Charlie was trying to protect you," said Emmett.

"Why wouldn't he tell us?" I asked.

"He probably thought he could handle it," said Jasper.

"Apparently he couldn't," whispered Rose.

"What I want to know is how did the killer lured Charlie to Newton's?" asked Edward. "Charlie wasn't the kind of man to act so recklessly."

"I think we need to check out his belongings at the police station," I said softly.

"That's a good idea," said Edward.

Just then our waitress brought our food. We didn't mention anything else about Charlie. We talked a little about what was coming up next for our careers. Rose, Alice and I were supposed to be starting a new concert tour in a few months. Angela and Ben were working together with the head of the company to combine our tour with the boy's. They were reluctant to allow two of their biggest bands to be on the same stage. They got more money when we were separated.

As soon as we were done eating we quickly paid the bill, after signing a dozen autographs and headed back to Forks. We called Carlisle and ask him if Lauren was working today. He told us she was off today but she was scheduled to work tomorrow. We decided to head down to the police station instead. We parked the car and made our way up to the front desk. We found Tyler Crowley working the front desk. It made me chuckle a little seeing him in uniform. He used to give Charlie nothing but trouble when we were in high school. As we walked up to the desk, he looked up and smiled.

"Well, look who it is, the Swan girls and the Cullen boys," chuckled Tyler.

"Tyler," said Edward.

"Sorry about Charlie. He was a great man," said Tyler, reaching over and grabbing my hand. I pulled it away quickly. It made me uncomfortable.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"Hey, Tyler, we were hoping to get Charlie's personal belongings," purred Rose. I had to bit my lip when I saw Tyler's eyes get big as Rose flirted with him.

"Oh…um…ok….just a second," fumbled Tyler.

"Crowley," snapped a deep manly voice from behind us.

We all turned and found a large russet skinned man standing behind us. He was easily six feet five inches tall. He had long black hair that was pulled back into a long ponytail and dark eerie eyes. There was something about this man that was giving me a bad vibe. He looked over at me and stared at me for a few seconds before he looked back at Tyler.

"I've got this, Crowley. You need to finish your paper work," said this man as he turned and looked directly at me. "I'm Officer Jacob Black. How may I help you, Miss Swan?"

"How did you know who I was?" I asked as I scooted closer to Edward. Something about Jacob made me uneasy.

"Charlie was very proud of you three. He talked about his girls all the time," said Jacob while still looking right at me.

"I see," I said, shifting my eyes away from his.

"Officer Black, we would like to collect Charlie's belongings," said Rose. Jacob finally tore his eyes away from me and looked over at Rose. His expression hardened slightly.

"Please call me Jacob. I'll bring them out for you," said Jacob. He turned and walked into the back of the station.

"Bella, have you ever met him before?" asked Jasper.

"No, I haven't. Why?" I asked.

"There was something in the way he was looking at you. I don't know," said Jasper quietly. Jacob came back carrying three boxes. There were two officers behind him carrying another three boxes a piece.

"Here we go," said Jacob, handing me a clipboard. "I just need you to sign these out."

"Ok," I said as I signed my name. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem, Bella," whispered Jacob as he stepped closer to me.

"How did you know I was Bella?" I asked as I stepped away from him.

"Forgive me. Charlie had pictures of you in his office."

"Oh," I said softly. "Well, we had better get going."

"Let us help you with these boxes," said Jacob, stepping closer to me.

"That's ok. We've got them," said Edward, stepping in front of me.

"Sure," said Jacob sharply.

He and the other officers handed us the boxes and we made our way out to the car. We loaded them into the back. We went to get in when I looked back at the police station. I saw Jacob standing there watching me. He gave me a small smile before he turned around and walked away. I felt an uneasy shutter run through my body as I turned and climbed in next to Edward.

"Did anyone get a creepy vibe from him?" asked Alice as Emmett started the car.

"I did. I didn't like the way he was looking at B," grumbled Emmett as he pulled out and headed back to the house.

"Me either," I whispered as I scooted closer to Edward. "I don't know what it is about him."

"Do you think he is the one after you?" asked Rosalie.

"I don't know," I said as a chill ran through my body. "I don't know why. I have never seen him before."

"It's going to be ok, B. We won't let him near you," whispered Edward as we pulled up in front of the houses. "I promise to keep you safe, love."

"I know you will. Let's get this stuff inside," I said.

We quickly unloaded the boxes into the living room of the Cullen house. We began going through his things. There were hundreds of pictures of Rose, Alice and I. There were pictures from all of our tours. He had several scrap books with newspaper clippings and magazine articles of everything Rose, Alice and I had ever done since we got signed. Rose, Alice and I sobbed for several minutes as we looked through it all. He had one that was full of pictures of the boys. I saw them all tear up when they saw how much he loved them.

There were pictures of us from us growing up. He had a picture of holding me for the first time, the first time he held Rose and Alice. Pictures of Renee holding them. Pictures of them kissing her pregnant belly. I felt my body shake as I was over come with sobs. Edward leaned over and pulled me into his arms and held me while sobbed. I never felt like I lost anything not having a mother growing up. Charlie always made me feel loved but I could see how much Renee loved us before she died. After a few minutes, I was able to collect myself. I just smiled at them all and went back to work.

Charlie had a lot of paperwork in his stuff. He had a few bills and the deed to his house and the title to his car as well as our cars that were in the garage. He had several books also. Most of them were about history. Charlie was a history buff. One book was about the history of forks and La Push, the local reservation. I flipped through the book and found a piece of paper in the middle of it. I unfolded it and gasped.

"Guys, look at this," I said showing them the paper. "I found it in this book about the history of Forks."

"Your beautiful Swan tastes like the sweet nectar of the earth. If you want her back in one piece, meet me tonight at Newton's. Come alone or I will kill them all," read Emmett. "It's signed the wolf. Look there is some of her hair."

"I guess that explains why Charlie went to Newton's on his own. But why would he think he had B?" said Jasper.

"Charlie called that night. We were in the middle of a show so we left our cell phones in the dressing room. The battery on my phone had died because I forgot to charge it again. He called ten times but it always went to my voice mail. It's all my fault," I whispered.

I stood up and went to Edward's room. I threw myself on Edward's bed and started sobbing. I don't know how many times Charlie got on to me for not charging my cell phone. He always said that it was for my safety. I promised over and over to keep it charged but I never did. It was my fault that Charlie walked into that trap.

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	9. Chapter 9

I heard everyone come in and sit on the bed. Edward pulled me into his arms.

"B, none of this is your fault," whispered Edward.

"Yes…it…is," I choked out. "If…I …had…only….charged…my…phone."

"B, you couldn't have known that your phone was going to die or that Charlie was going to call. The only person to blame is the creep that set him up," said Alice.

"Don't you get it," I cried. "It's my fault that we don't have parents. I killed Renee and because I was to lazy to charge my phone, we lost Charlie."

"B, that is enough. Renee died because the doctors couldn't stop the bleeding. You are not to blame. Charlie died because some asshole set him up to get to you. I promise we are going to find out who it is," said Rose.

"Guys, leave us alone for a minute," said Edward. I heard the others leave the room. "B, you know they are right."

"I know but I can't help but feel guilty," I whispered as I let a tear fall from my eye.

"I know you do. But Charlie would not want you to blame yourself, love," whispered Edward.

"I know you are right, E. It's just not fair," I whispered. "I don't get why anyone would go through all of this just to get to me."

"B, you are fucking hot. What person in their right mind wouldn't want you?" chuckled Edward.

"You are biased because I let you see my boobs," I chuckled.

"That is true but you didn't have to listen to all the boys in the locker room for four years of high school."

"Gross, who said what?" I asked.

"Let me just put it this way, Newton wasn't the only one who had to adjust himself when you walked by," chuckled Edward.

"I don't think I want to know anymore," I chuckled as my stomach growled.

"Let's go make some dinner," said Edward.

"Ok, if we must," I sighed letting go of Edward.

"Well, you are going to need your strength tonight. I have a promise to collect on," chuckled Edward.

"In that case, let's eat quickly," I said.

I jumped up and ran down the stairs. I heard Edward start laughing as he followed me. He swept me into his arms and ran into the kitchen. We stopped when we saw everyone looking at us when knowing grins on their faces. I hopped out of Edward's arms and pulled him over to the stove. I pulled out the stuff for lasagna and got to work, ignoring the snickering from my sisters as they went into the living room. I quickly got it put together and put it into the oven. Edward and I joined the others in the living room. They were packing up the boxes we had picked up this afternoon. We had just put the last of the stuff up when Carlisle and Esme walked in.

"What is all of this?" asked Esme, pointing to the nine cardboard boxes.

"This is Charlie's stuff from the police station," said Emmett, shooting me a concerned look.

"Em, I'm fine," I whispered.

"What's going on?" demanded Carlisle.

"We found a note that Charlie's killer had sent him the night he was shot," I said, handing it to Carlisle. His eyes got big as he read it. "They made Charlie think he had me at Newton's. That is why Charlie went off on his own."

"Why didn't he have other officers with him?" asked Esme as she read the note.

"I think Charlie knew who ever it was. I think he thought he could talk him down," said Jasper.

"Why do you think that?" asked Edward.

"Because Charlie didn't even pull his gun. I think whoever this person was is someone that Charlie trusted at some point," explained Jasper.

"Ok, but who is it?" I asked.

"I don't know. The only people I know that Charlie trusted one hundred percent are in this room," said Jasper. "We know it wasn't any of us. Which makes me think that whoever it was is a skilled actor. Charlie could spot bullshit a mile away."

"What about Jacob?" asked Alice. "What do we know about him?"

"Jacob Black?" asked Carlisle.

"Yes, do you know him?" asked Edward.

"Not well. His father is one of the elders on the reservation. He was in a car accident six years ago and lost his wife and his ability to walk. Jacob's older sisters left as soon as they graduated but Jacob stayed to help his father. He applied to the police academy before he even graduated. He is…odd," said Carlisle.

"What do you mean odd?" I asked.

"Jacob is a two years younger than you and Edward. He went through a violent period when he was sixteen. It was right after you and Edward left to join the others in LA. His father had him locked up in a mental hospital for two months. His doctors claim he was suffering from post traumatic stress from losing his mother a year before this but I wasn't as convinced. The few times I treated him he seemed agitated."

"How did he get on at the police station if he had issues like that?" asked Emmett.

"Once he came back from the hospital in Seattle he seemed to be better. He went back to school and graduated early with a nearly perfect 4.0 GPA. I don't think anyone else has had trouble with him since he came back," explained Carlisle. "When did you run into Jacob?"

"We saw him at the station when we went to get Charlie's things. He seemed interested in B. He kept staring at her. We all just got a creepy vibe from him," said Alice.

"I just felt uncomfortable with the look in his eye," I said as I shuddered slightly. I could still fell his piercing black eyes on me.

"Well, I think we should learn more about Jacob," said Carlisle. "Maybe we should go down to the reservation and talk to his father."

"That would be a good idea," I said. "Dinner should be almost ready."

We all filed into the dining room. I pulled the lasagna and garlic bread out and placed it on the table. I grabbed the salad from the fridge and sat down to eat with the others. We didn't talk about Jacob or Charlie anymore. Carlisle told us that he has decided to take the next few months off so he and Esme can help us with the investigation. We made small talk about the work and our new albums. Once we were done eating, we all cleaned up the dishes and kitchen together. Jasper, Alice, Edward and I were going to stay at Charlie's while Emmett and Rosalie stayed with Carlisle and Esme. We said our goodnights after Edward grabbed some cloths for the next day. We walked over to Charlie's and locked the door behind the four of us. Edward and I went straight to my room. I shut the door and turned and gave him an evil grin.

"E?" I said seductively.

"Yes, love?" whispered Edward huskily.

"Don't you have a promise to claim tonight, lover," I whispered as I pulled off my jacket and dropped it on the floor.

"That I do," whispered Edward as he took a step toward me. I held up my hand to stop him. I kicked off my heels.

"What do you want me to do?" I whispered. He just grinned evilly. He liked being in charge.

"Take off your shirt and pants slowly," he ordered.

I slowly pulled off my shirt and let it drop to the floor. I undid my belt and pulled it through the pant loops and tossed it on the floor at Edward's feet. I slowly unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my hips. I stepped out of my pants and stood there wearing only my white thong and white lace bra. Edward stepped up to me and gently grabbed me by the waist.

"You are so fucking hot," whispered Edward before he kissed me hard. "I want to feel your fucking hot mouth on my hard cock."

"As you wish…sir," I whispered as I began to undo Edward's pants.

I pushed his pants down and he stepped out them before he pulled his shirt off. My man was hard and ready for me. I fell to my knees and grabbed his cock in my hand. I felt him inhale when my hand touched him. I stuck out my tongue and gently licked the tip of his cock.

"Fuck," moaned Edward as he grabbed the back of my head.

I chuckled to myself and sucked his cock into my mouth. I relaxed my throat so I could get more of him in my mouth. I started moving my head along his cock slowly letting my teeth raked along his shaft. Edward weaved his fingers onto the back of my head and thrust his hips into me.

"B, faster," moaned Edward.

I quickened my pace and I felt him meet me thrust for thrust. I reached down and started massaging his balls as I plunged him in and out of my mouth. I could tell he was getting close so I started moving even faster. I needed to taste him tonight. Edward shuddered lightly as he thrust one more time and shot his sweet nectar in my mouth. I sucked and swallowed every drop. Edward pulled me up to my feet. He slammed me against the wall. He slammed his lips against mine, roughly plunging his tongues into my mouth as he ripped my bra and panties off so quickly I felt myself get even wetter. Edward fell to his knees and pulled my legs on his shoulder and plunged his tongue into my wet core roughly.

"Fuck," I moaned. "So fucking good."

Edward licked and sucked on my lips like a man eating his last meal. He was aggressive and raw. He pulled my clit in between his teeth as he slammed two fingers inside of me. Over and over he pulled his fingers out and pushed them back in. I knew I was getting so close. I could feel my stomach tensing as he fingered fucked me over and over again.

"Cum for me now, B," demanded Edward.

"FUCK!" I screamed as I came hard.

I felt my entire body shake as my orgasm rocked through me. Edward buried his face in me and took everything I gave him. He kissed his way up my body and kissed me hard. He threw me over his shoulder and threw me onto the bed. He flipped us over so I was on my stomach and pulled me onto my hands and knees. He spanked my ass hard a couple times causing me to moan loudly, before he slammed his cock into my throbbing pussy hard. He paused for a moment before he pulled nearly all the way out and slammed into me again. He did this a few more times before he grabbed my hair roughly and increased his thrusts.

"Fuck, E. Feels so fucking good. Don't stop," I moaned.

"You are mine, B. You hear me. You are fucking mine," growled Edward as he grabbed my hips and fucked me harder.

"Only yours, E. Forever," I screamed as I came hard again.

Edward thrust a few more times before he came violently inside of me. Edward slowly pulled out of me and I immediately missed the feeling of him inside of me. Nothing compared to it. He rolled over and pulled me into his arms. He kissed me softly and tenderly.

"I didn't hurt you , did I?" whispered Edward.

"No, my love. It was …amazing," I whispered as I kissed his lips again. "I love you, E."

"As I love you, B," whispered Edward.

I laid my head on his chest and sighed. As long as I had Edward I could make it through anything. He was my life. I couldn't live with out him. I slowly felt my body relax as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

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	10. Chapter 10

Edward and I were startled awake by a bloodcurdling scream the next morning. I jumped up and pulled on Edward's t-shirt and boxers from the night before while Edward pulled on his jeans. We ran down the stairs and found Alice sobbing in Jasper's arms.

"What the fuck is going on?" I demanded.

"Message…on….door," sobbed Alice.

"The killer left a message for you on the door," explained Jasper, rubbing Alice's back softly.

I went over and pulled the front door open and felt the air leave my body. Nailed to the door was a bat. There was a note tied to it's wing. I pulled the note off and read it out loud as Carlisle, Esme, Emmett and Rosalie all came running over in their pajamas.

"My beautiful Swan, you need to tell your dirty bloodsucker to keep his fucking hands off of what is mine. You belong to me and nobody else. We will be together soon," I read . "Signed the Wolf."

"Oh my god. He is watching you, B," whispered Rose.

"He watched us last night," I said softly as a tear fell from my eye.

"How did he nail this on the door with out any of us hearing it?" asked Jasper.

"It doesn't matter. He is getting too close," said Edward. "B, we need to leave Forks."

"You're right but where do we go? We can't go back to LA. It would be to easy to find our house," I whispered.

"I don't know," whispered Edward.

"We will go to the beach house," said Esme. "All of us."

"I can't ask you to leave your life here," I said.

"Bella, we are going with you," said Carlisle as he pulled me into his arms. "We are a family. We have to stick together."

"Ok," I whispered. I took a deep breath and looked around at everyone. "This is how this is going to work. I want Rose and Emmett to go to the hospital and talk to Lauren about the flower delivery. I want Alice and Jasper to go talk to Mike about how Charlie and the killer got into the store that night. Edward, Carlisle, Esme and I are going to go talk to Jacob's father. We will all meet back here in an hour to pack. I will call Angela and Ben and tell them that we are leaving but I am not going to tell them where we are going. We will drive to the beach house. If we fly, we will draw more attention to ourselves. Ok?"

"Ok," they all said together.

"Please be careful. Who ever this person is after me is not playing a game anymore," I whispered.

They all agreed. We all went to get dressed. Edward and I dressed in less than five minutes. We went downstairs and I went into the garage. I uncovered my '65 ford mustang. I haven't driven her in months. I pulled it out of the garage and a few minutes later Carlisle and Esme climbed into the backseat. Emmett and Rosalie were climbing into her BMW while Alice and Jasper were getting in Carlisle's Mercedes. I gave them all a soft smile as I pulled out and drove to La Push. I called Angela and told her that we were going into hiding but I couldn't tell her where. I promised to keep her updated. She told us she would tell Ben and they would make sure everything at the company was in order in case we had to hide for a while. Ten minutes later, we pulled up in front of the house of Billy Black. We all climbed out and looked around before we went up and knocked on the door. A few minutes later, a older version of Jacob pulled his door open.

"I was wondering when you would be down to see me," said Billy. "Come on in."

"Thank you, Mr. Black. I'm Bella Swan," I said as I stepped into the small house followed by Edward, Carlisle and Esme.

"I know who you are. Please call me Billy. Have a seat," he said as he gestured to his sofa.

"You don't seem surprised to see us, Billy," I said as I sat on the sofa.

"I'm not. After what I found this morning, I knew it was only a matter of time before you would show up here."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Jacob came home yesterday from the police station practically bouncing off the walls. He told me about your visit, Miss Swan. He kept going on about you finally being back here. He went into his room and changed clothes and left. I haven't seen him since. I got worried this morning so I went to look in his room. There is something you need to see," said Billy.

We followed him down the long hallway into a room at the end of the hall. He motioned for us to go on in. I stepped in and felt the air leave my body. Covering every inch of his walls were pictures of me. Some of them were from when I was still in high school. A few were from when I graduated, when we left for LA. While we were in LA playing in crappy bars. I found pictures of me sitting by the side of my pool at my house in LA. It looked like he has been following me for years. There was the picture of me and Edward at last years Grammies. I was wearing a knee length black Armani dress. He had drawn a heart around me but put a big X over Edward. I felt my knees go weak when I saw a picture of me and Charlie at his last birthday. It was where Rose, Alice and I helped Charlie blow out his candles. It looked like Alice and Rose had been cut out of the picture. There was an arrow pointing to Charlie. Edward pulled me into his arms.

"How long have you know about his obsession with her?" snapped Edward.

"I just found out this morning. Jacob has always kept this door locked. I knew he loved your music but I didn't realize it was like this," said Billy.

"He has pictures of me in LA. How did you not know he was gone for days at a time?" I asked.

"Jacob told me he was going to visit his sisters. They live in San Francisco."

"Bella, these pictures are in order," whispered Esme.

"What?" I asked as I turned to her.

"Look at the time and date stamped on the bottom. He has them hung up in the order he took them." she said pointing at the pictures. "Which means these over here are the first pictures he took."

I went over and looked at the pictures he took. I felt my stomach turn when I realized he has been watching me since the night Edward and I came to first beach on prom night. He had pictures hanging on his walls of us making love for the first time. I ran to the bathroom and dry heavy for several minutes. I sat there on the bathroom floor sobbing as Edward wrapped his arms around me.

"He watched us that night, E," I whispered. "He has been watching us for five years."

"I know, love," whispered Edward. He helped me up and we went back into Jacob's room. I turned and looked at Billy.

"How did he hide this from you?" I asked.

"Jacob has always been a private person. When his mother died and I ended up in this chair he changed. He became obsessed with learning about our tribes heritage. He started calling himself the alpha wolf. He went from a happy teenage boy to being violent and out of control. I sent him to a hospital in Seattle for two months. When he came out he was less violent but he still wasn't the same Jacob that he was before. I was blinded by my love for him."

"You realize he killed my father," I said.

"What makes you think that?" asked Billy. I pointed at the picture of Charlie and I together.

"You see this. He drew a target over Charlie. The night my father was killed he was sent a note from someone calling himself the wolf. He told him that he had his beautiful Swan. If my father wanted me back, he had to come alone. I think Charlie knew that Jacob was obsessed with me and wanted to help him. It got him killed," I explained.

"He also left roses on her porch the night of the funeral with a card that said 'Roses are red, Violets are blue. Once day soon you, my beautiful Swan, will be mine'," said Carlisle.

"As well as our present this morning. He nailed a bat to her front door and a note that said 'My beautiful Swan, you need to tell your dirty bloodsucker to keep his fucking hands off of what is mine. You belong to me and nobody else. We will be together soon.' He seems to be under the impression that she is his," said Edward.

"I can't believe it. He loved your father," whispered Billy. "I guess nothing should surprised me."

"We need to call the police," I said. "They can get him help if he needs it."

"You're right," said Billy.

We went back into the main room and I called the police. They said they would send someone right over. I also called Alice and told her we were going to be a little later. She said she and Jasper would pack our bags while Emmett and Rose brought the notes to us so we could give them to the police. Fifteen minutes later, Tyler Crowley and Sam Uley came inside. We showed them Jacob's room and told them about the notes. Emmett and Rose showed up a few minutes later and gave them the notes. We all gave writing samples so they could prove that none of us wrote the notes. They took our statements and tried to put me into protective custody but I refused. I told them we were going into hiding and that I would be in touch. I took out a restraining order on Jacob and we went back home. I felt everyone looking at me as we drove back to the house. I felt like Jacob was watching me the whole time.

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**Thank you for all the reviews! Up next is Rose and Em's talk with Lauren. **


	11. Chapter 11

RPOV

I could feel Emmett's arms wrapped around my naked body. He pressed his lips against the back of my neck and I felt his erection pressing against my back. I pushed him over on his back and kissed him hard as I straddled his waist. I slammed down on his cock hard.

"Fuck, Rosie," groaned Emmett.

"You feel so fucking good, Em," I moaned loudly.

Emmett pulled up into a sitting position and wrapped my legs around his waist. He grabbed my ass and started fucking me hard. He always knew how I liked it, fast and hard. Emmett leaned in and bit down on my nipple causing me to scream out his name. I started thrusting my hips matching his pace as I felt my orgasm building. Emmett dug his fingers into my ass as we climaxed together.

"I love you, Rosie," whispered Emmett.

"I love you, Em," I said as I kissed him softly. Just then I heard a bloodcurdling scream from Charlie's house. "What the fuck was that?"

"Let's go see," said Emmett.

We jumped out of the bed and pulled on our pajamas. We ran down the stairs at the same time as Carlisle and Esme did. We ran out of the house and went straight to Charlie's. We found Edward and Bella staring at a dead bat that was nailed on the door. Alice was sobbing in Jasper's arms. Bella pulled the note that was attacked to the bat and read it aloud to us.

"My beautiful Swan, you need to tell your dirty bloodsucker to keep his fucking hands off of what is mine. You belong to me and nobody else. We will be together soon," she read . "Signed the Wolf."

"Oh my god. He is watching you, B," I whispered as my eyes filled up with tears.

"He watched us last night," Bella said softly as a tear fell from her eye.

"How did he nail this on the door with out any of us hearing it?" asked Jasper.

"It doesn't matter. He is getting too close," said Edward. "B, we need to leave Forks."

"You're right but where do we go? We can't go back to LA. It would be to easy to find our house," whispered Bella.

"I don't know," whispered Edward.

"We will go to the beach house," said Esme. "All of us."

"I can't ask you to leave your life here," said Bella.

"Bella, we are going with you," said Carlisle as he pulled her into his arms. "We are a family. We have to stick together."

"Ok," whispered Bella, taking a deep breath. "This is how this is going to work. I want Rose and Emmett to go to the hospital and talk to Lauren about the flower delivery. I want Alice and Jasper to go talk to Mike about how Charlie and the killer got into the store that night. Edward, Carlisle, Esme and I are going to go talk to Jacob's father. We will all meet back here in an hour to pack. I will call Angela and Ben and tell them that we are leaving but I am not going to tell them where we are going. We will drive to the beach house. If we fly, we will draw more attention to ourselves. Ok?"

"Ok," we all said together.

"Please be careful. Who ever this person is after me is not playing a game anymore," whispered Bella.

Emmett and I quickly made our way over to his house and got dressed. We ran downstairs and were climbing into my BMW when I looked over and saw my baby sister pull out of the garage. She gave me a small smile which I returned and drove off. I felt like my heart was being pulled out of my chest as I climbed into the car. I let Emmett drive. I had way to much on my mind.

Being the oldest has always been hard for me. It's always been my job to protect my sisters, especially Bella. She never got to meet our mom. She always put on a tough face but I knew it was hard on her. I barely remembered Renee. I tried to protect her and Alice. The three of us were always best friends. I remember girls in school talking about how weird it was that my best friends were my sisters. I didn't get it. We had each other. We didn't need anyone else. Charlie always told me his girls were the most important people to him. I know he didn't have favorites, he loved us all, but Bella was his. They connected on a level that Alice and I never could compete with. He never treated us as less but Charlie and Bella were the ones who pulled pranks on us. They would spend hours just listening to music. Charlie loved music.

When I was twelve I begged Charlie to teach me how to play the guitar. He bought us each one and every Tuesday night we would have guitar lessons. Bella became obsessed with it. She later talked him into letting her take piano lessons and voice lessons. She was a natural. Alice decided the drums were more her speed. When I was eighteen, Bella convinced me and Alice to start a band. I figured it was just a phase but she was totally into it. She went from dressing like a tomboy to a rocker girl. Alice and I changed our looks a little but no where near as much as Bella did. She even put pink streaks in her hair. It wasn't until we played our first gig in this coffee shop in Seattle, that I fell in love with playing. Feeling the music pouring out of my fingers made me horny.

It was around that time that I noticed Emmett. The six of us have always been inseparable but I noticed that a little bit of electricity between us every time our arms touched. I finally just took charge and kissed him one day. He chuckled and asked what took me so long. From that day on we have been together. From that moment on, Emmett was mine.

I was worried how Alice and Bella would take my relationship with Emmett. They teased us a little but I could tell they were happy for us. A few months later, Jasper and Alice started dating. We knew it would only be a matter of time before Edward and Bella got together. It was obvious to all of us that they were in love with each other. It didn't seem to matter to them that all the guys were drooling over Bella or the girls who would through themselves at Edward's feet. They only saw each other. Finally after two years of pussyfooting around, they got together.

The last five years have been hard on us all. Emmett and I have been married for three years but because of our schedules, I am lucky if I see Emmett a few days a month. Usually one of us was on tour or the others would be traveling the country promoting our albums. But just when we needed them, they showed up. Emmett told me that Edward had a dream about Charlie. Apparently Charlie told him that they needed to come home. He said we needed them. We did need them. Bella would have shut down into herself if Edward hadn't been there to hold her together.

Then we figured out that whoever killed Charlie was after my baby sister. I wanted to leave and hide her away right then but no, Bella had to be stubborn. Even after the killer left her the roses on the porch, she insisted that we stay. I wanted to scream at her to be reasonable but I knew she wouldn't listen. She was too much like Charlie. We went to Port Angles and found out that who ever was after her had the flowers had them delivered to the hospital. Which is why we are going to speak to with Lauren. She apparently signed for the delivery.

"Rosie, she is going to be ok," said Emmett grabbing my hand. "I won't let anyone hurt her."

"I know, Em," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye. "I'm just worried about her."

"I am too, but B is tough. She can handle this," said Emmett as he pulled into a parking space. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"I love you too, Em," I said as I kissed him. "Now lets go see what this bitch knows."

Emmett just chuckled as we got out of the car and went into the hospital. Lauren was sitting at the information desk filing her nails. Lauren has always been a thorn in my side with the way she treated Bella through high school. We walked up to the desk and she looked up at us. Her eyes got wide as she looked from Emmett to me. I rolled my eyes when I saw her stifle a squeal.

"Hi, Rosalie, Emmett," squealed Lauren.

"Lauren, just the person I wanted to see," I said.

"R-r-really?" whispered Lauren.

"Yep, the day before Charlie died a dozen blush roses were delivered to the this hospital. You signed for them but they never made it to Charlie's room. Do you remember them?" I asked.

"Oh, um, yeah. They came in late in the afternoon. I signed for them but left them here for pickup. I got called to deliver a message to one of the ER doctors. When I got back they were gone. I just assumed they got picked up and taken to his room," said Lauren. "Please don't file a complaint. I will totally lose my job."

"Don't worry about it. Can you tell us if you noticed anyone hanging around?" asked Emmett.

"I saw Tyler Crowley, Sam Uley and Jacob Black but they were almost always here checking on your dad," explained Lauren.

"Ok, Thanks," I said.

Emmett and I made our way back out to the car and went back to the house. Alice was pacing on her cell phone. She hung up and explained that Bella needed us to take the notes that we found down to the Black's house. Apparently they found something there and called the police in. We quickly made our way down to La Push. Sam Uley and Tyler Crowley were already there. We gave them the notes and a hand writing sample. Bella took us back to see Jacob's room. I felt the tears pour down my face as I saw all the pictures of my baby sister all of his walls. We left and drove home to tell Alice and Jasper what we knew. I just hoped we could keep Bella safe.

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**Thank you for all the reviews! Up next is Alice's POV and her conversation with Mike.**


	12. Chapter 12

APOV

I felt my love pushing himself into me slowly. He filled my completely before he pulled out again and pushed back into me. He slowly started quickening his thrusts as he made love to me. He was so tender worshiping all of my tiny body with his hands and lips. I could tell that we were getting close to our climax so I reached up and pulled Jasper's lips to mine. Our body shook uncontrollably as we came together. Jasper rolled off of me and pulled me into his arms.

"I love you, J," I whispered softly.

"I love you, Ali," whispered Jasper.

"I'm hungry. Let's go out for breakfast, just the two of us."

"Sounds good, honey."

Jasper and I quickly took a shower together and got dressed. We walked downstairs and I pulled open the front door. I felt all the air leave my body as I screamed when I saw a bat nailed to the front door. I turned and fell into Jasper's arms and started sobbing. I heard Edward and Bella jump up and run downstairs.

"What the fuck is going on?" demanded Bella.

"Message…on….door," I sobbed.

"The killer left a message for you on the door," explained Jasper.

Rose, Emmett, Carlisle and Esme came running over in their pajamas as Bella pulled the note off the bat and read it to all of us.

"My beautiful Swan, you need to tell your dirty bloodsucker to keep his fucking hands off of what is mine. You belong to me and nobody else. We will be together soon," read Bella. "Signed the Wolf."

"Oh my god. He is watching you, B," whispered Rose.

"He watched us last night," Bella said softly as a tear fell from her eye.

"How did he nail this on the door with out any of us hearing it?" asked Jasper.

"It doesn't matter. He is getting too close," said Edward. "B, we need to leave Forks."

"You're right but where do we go? We can't go back to LA. It would be to easy to find the house," Bella whispered.

"I don't know," whispered Edward.

"We will go to the beach house," said Esme. "All of us."

"I can't ask you to leave your life here," said Bella.

"Bella, we are going with you," said Carlisle as he pulled her into his arms. "We are a family. We have to stick together."

"Ok," She whispered, taking a deep breath. "This is how this is going to work. I want Rose and Emmett to go to the hospital and talk to Lauren about the flower delivery. I want Alice and Jasper to go talk to Mike about how Charlie and the killer got into the store that night. Edward, Carlisle, Esme and I are going to go talk to Jacob's father. We will all meet back here in an hour to pack. I will call Angela and Ben and tell them that we are leaving but I am not going to tell them where we are going. We will drive to the beach house. If we fly, we will draw more attention to ourselves. Ok?"

"Ok," We all said together.

"Please be careful. Who ever this person is after me is not playing a game anymore," Bella whispered.

Jasper and I went over and grabbed the keys for Carlisle's Mercedes while the others went to get dressed. We went outside and I was fixing to get in the car when I looked over and saw Bella pulling her mustang out of the garage. She gave us a small smile before she pulled out and headed to La Push. Jasper and I jumped into the car and headed over to Newton's.

Rose, Bella and I have always been the best of friends. Charlie did the best he could but he couldn't do it all so Rose and I tried to help take care of our little sister. The kids in school always teased her for being such a tomboy growing up but that was just Bella. She wasn't as interested in dolls and girly things like Rose and I were. Even when we were grown she ventured more toward music and the rocker girl look. When we started our band, Bella insisted that we needed to have a edgy look. I didn't mind as much as Rose did but I think even Rose realized it was a good look for us. Charlie took us shopping in Seattle and we bought leather pants, skirts, and tub tops. He was always so great about letting us express ourselves.

I don't think any of us felt like we shorted a parent ever. When Charlie couldn't help, Carlisle and Esme were happy to step in and do what they could. They were our second parents. Our childhood consisted of Emmett, Jasper and Edward chasing us around our houses or riding our bikes all over town. By the time we were in high school, I knew I was madly in love with Jasper. I was so afraid that he would never see me as more than his sister until Rose and Emmett started dating. We teased them a little but I knew that one day Jasper would be mine. Three months later, we were sitting on the back porch talking one night when he leaned over and kissed me. I kissed him back and told him that he kept me waiting for ever. He just grinned and said he was sorry he kept me waiting. I laughed and kissed him again. From that moment on, Jasper was mine.

We all knew that it would only be a matter of time before Edward and Bella realized how much they loved each other. Neither of them seemed to notice anyone but each other. I saw the spark in Bella's eye the night she came walking down the stairs for her senior prom. It was almost like she was seeing Edward for the first time. As soon as they left, Emmett, Rose, Charlie, Carlisle, Esme and I broke out in squeals. We knew by the time she came home, Edward would be hers.

The last few years have been hard for all of us. Jasper and I have been married for a year but we hardly ever go to see each other. We didn't get to spend nearly as much time together as we wanted to. Our careers often took us to different sides of the world. When I saw Jasper standing in that kitchen door the day Charlie died, I knew we were going to have to make some hard decisions about our careers. Then we realized that who ever killed our father was after Bella. I felt like my heart was being pulled into half. Someone was willing to commit cold blooded murder just to get to Bella. We all vowed to find out who it was and keep our sister safe.

"Ali, you ok?" whispered Jasper. I looked around and realized that we were parked in the parking lot of Newton's Sporting Goods.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said as I got out of the car. "Just worried about B."

"I am too, Ali," said Jasper as he wrapped an arm around my waist and led me into the store. "Hopefully Mike will be able to tell us something."

"Yeah," I said as we walked into the store.

"OH MY GOD, Alice Swan and Jasper Cullen," squealed Jessica Stanley from behind the check out counter. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk to Mike," said Jasper. "Can you call him for us?"

"Sure," she said. She called Mike to the front. "I love your music. I always knew you would make it."

"Gee, thanks Jessica," I said as I rolled my eyes. She was one of the many people who told us we would never make it.

"Alice? Jasper?" said Mike Newton from behind us. He still looked like the same baby faced kid he was five years ago.

"Hey Mike. We need to speak to you in private for a moment," said Jasper.

"Sure, come on back to my office," he said. He led us through the store to the back office. He closed the door behind us and motioned for us to sit. "What can I do for you?"

"We wanted to talk to you about the night Charlie was shot. Do you have any idea how he or his killer got in?" asked Jasper.

"We have a pretty high tech security system but Charlie had the code. We gave it to him after the alarm went off several times," explained Mike.

"Did any of the other officer's have it?" I asked.

"I don't know. Charlie may have given it to some of them."

"Is there anything about when you found him that sticks out in your mind?" I asked.

"I came in to open the store when I found Charlie laying up by the check out counter. It looked like he had tried to drag his body to the phone. He did write something on the floor," said Mike.

"What?" I asked.

"He wrote 'Bella' with his blood. I called 911 and a few minutes later an ambulance showed up followed by Jacob Black, Tyler Crowley and Same Uley," said Mike.

"Were any of them acting strange?" asked Jasper.

"Not really. They all seemed pretty upset about Charlie but I mean we all were," said Mike. "I wish I could help you out more."

"Thanks, Mike. You have helped us a lot," I said as I stood up.

Jasper and I went home. As soon as we walked in my cell phone rang. It was Bella. She said they were going to be later than they thought. She said she needed us to pack their things while Emmett and Rose brought them the notes from the killer. She said she would explain everything when they got back. I hung up right as Rose came into the house. I gave them the message from Bella. They left while Jasper and I started packing for everyone. We had just sat down on the couch when Bella, Edward, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rose came running into the house. I could tell by the look on their faces it wasn't going to be good.

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**Thanks for all the reviews.** **If you get the chance, and I know you will, go check out 'in from the cold' by timid vampire and a one-shot by GreenEyedTemptation called 'Letting Go of Forever.' Both authors can be found under my favorite authors lists. Please go read them.**


	13. Chapter 13

BPOV

Alice and Jasper were waiting for us in the Cullen's living room. They had all of our bags packed and waiting next to the door. I parked my car back into the garage and covered her. Edward and I went back over to the Cullen's and told Emmett, Rose, Alice and Jasper everything we had learned. They were shocked that he had been watching me for so long. Rose and Emmett told us about their conversation with Lauren. She admitted to signing for the order but said she left them on the desk. She was called away to another part of the hospital and when she got back five minutes later they were gone. She said she assumed that they had gotten taken up to Charlie's room. She said she saw Jacob, Sam Uley and Tyler Crowley hanging around the lobby when she got the call.

Alice and Jasper told us that Mike was clueless about how they got into the store that night. He said they have a security alarm but that Charlie had the code after they had several false alarms go off. He said he came into open the store the next morning when he found Charlie laying in the front of the store. He said it looked like Charlie had tried to crawl his way to a phone. When he said he had written my name on the floor before he passed out, I shuddered. I just couldn't help but feel responsible for it all. Jasper told us that Mike called 911 and they rushed Charlie to the hospital. He said Jacob Black, Sam Uley and Tyler Crowley were the first officers on the scene. It all seemed to point back to Jacob Black.

We grabbed our luggage and loaded them into Carlisle's Excursion. I went back into the house to grab my cell phone charger from my room. I had just pulled it off the shelf when I felt someone grab me from behind. He threw his hand around my mouth as I tried to scream. He leaned down and I felt his breath on my neck as he sniffed me.

"You are so lovely, my beautiful Swan," murmured a husky male voice but I couldn't tell for sure who it was. "I bet you taste just as lovely."

I tried to scream against the person's hand but he just chuckled lightly. I felt him lower his lips to my neck and lick from my collarbone to my ear, causing my to shudder violently. He lowered his hand to my breast and squeezed it roughly. I tried to scream but they came out muffled. I kicked at his legs but he just laughed at me. I dug my nails into his hands trying to pull them off my mouth. The man just chuckled again and bit my neck hard. I cried out against the pain that shot up through my neck.

"B, come on. We need to get going," yelled Edward. I could hear him coming up the stairs. I tried to scream again and kick at the person holding me but it didn't do any good.

"Until we meet again, my beautiful Swan. Soon you will be mine," he whispered before he slammed my head against the wall.

I heard him jump through the window as Edward opened the door to my room. I fell to the ground and let the darkness take over.

"B? Wake up, B," sobbed Edward. "Please, love, wake up."

I snapped my eyes open and found myself laying in the middle of my room. Edward had me in his lap while everyone else was standing around us sobbing into each other. For a moment I couldn't understand why they were crying. Then I remembered the man with his hands on me. I pulled out of Edward's arms and ran into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I jumped in, fully clothed, and started scrubbing at my body. I fell to my knees and started sobbing, violently. I felt Edward get in with me and pull me into his arms.

"Love, you're ok," he whispered.

"He….he….was…in my….room," I choked out. "He….grabbed….me. He…..touched….me."

"Did he do anything else?" asked Carlisle as he turned off the water and knelt by the tub.

"He…he…bit….my neck," I whispered through my tears.

"I need to see it, honey," whispered Carlisle. I pulled my hair away from my neck and turned my head away. I felt Edward inhale sharply while Carlisle examined my neck gently. "It will be ok. I just need to put a bandage it. I need you to get out of the tub, honey."

"Ok," I whispered. Edward helped me stand up and wrapped a towel around me.

Carlisle led us back out to my room where everyone was standing around waiting for us. I turned back into Edward's embrace. I was embarrassed to have to face them.

"Guys, we will be down in a minute," said Edward softly.

"Ok," said Alice softly.

I heard everyone leave, except for Edward. He didn't say anything as he helped me pull off my wet shirt and jeans. He tossed them in the trash and took off my bra and panties throwing those in the trash as well. He understood that I wouldn't want them anymore. Not now. He helped me put on a new pair of panties and a bra. I pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a long sleeve t-shirt. He quickly pulled his wet clothes off and changed into the pair of shorts and t-shirt I had worn over here the other day. He wrapped me in his arms and pulled me down the stairs. He led me into the living room. He pulled me onto his lap as he sat on the chair.

"B, are you ok?" whispered Rose. I could tell she was crying.

"No," I whispered as Carlisle cleaned the wound on my neck after Esme took a couple pictures.

"Did he…" started Alice but she was unable to finish as she was overcome by her tears.

"No," I whispered as I let my tears fall.

"Was it Jacob?" asked Emmett.

"I don't know," I whispered. "I didn't see his face. I couldn't tell from his voice."

"B, we need to call the police," whispered Jasper as he kneeled beside me.

"I can't," I whispered. "I can't tell anyone."

"Yes, you can, love. They need to know so they can catch him," whispered Edward.

"Please, don't make me," I whispered as the tears poured my face. I clung onto Edward, desperate for him to keep me safe. "Please, I can't…."

"Baby, I won't let you go. I will keep you safe the whole time," promised Edward.

"Do you promise?" I sobbed softly into his chest.

"I promise," he whispered.

"Ok," I whispered softly.

Carlisle called the police. Tyler and Sam over about ten minutes later. I told them about the man grabbing me, what he said, how he bit me. Carlisle gave them the pictures of the bit mark Esme had taken. They said they would add this to the other charges they have against Jacob, even though we didn't know for sure if it was Jacob. They once again offered to put me into protective custody but I turned them down again. I needed to be with my family.

They left about an hour later. The eight of us quietly loaded up inside the car. It was a tight fit getting the eight of us inside but it would be easier to take one car. I looked back and watched the houses from my childhood fade into the distance as I went into hiding with my family. Somewhere deep inside I knew this wasn't over yet. I think it was only just beginning.

Carlisle and Esme's beach house was located a few hours south of LA. We had gone with them several times when we were little. Charlie always called it our escape from reality. I hope he was right. Right now, reality fucking blows. It would take us a nearly twenty fours hours to drive all the way. We tried to talk. Well, they tried to talk but it didn't seem like any of us were in the mood to talk after the last few days. I found myself zoning out. I couldn't understand why Jacob was so obsessed with me. It was bothering me that I couldn't be sure that it was even him on my room. After a several hours of trying to figure it all out, I fell asleep on the car window.

_I was running though the dark woods. I looked around trying to figure out where I was but none of it was familiar. I kept moving but it felt like my legs were full of iron. I tripped over a branch and fell to the ground. I scrambled to my feet and tried to run but my knee hurt. I heard a low growl come from behind me. I stopped in my tracks and looked around, desperately looking for some light to show me the way out. I froze when I saw a pair of menacing dark eyes looking at me._

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT?" I screamed at the eyes. _

"_I need my beautiful Swan," whispered someone into the wind._

"_I'M NOT YOURS,"I screamed as I backed away._

"_You will always be mine," whispered Jacob Black as he stepped out from the shadow. He looked back at me and chuckled. "I will have you soon."_

"_NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as I was pushed to the ground. _

_Jacob jumped on top of me and pinned me to the ground. He lowered his lips to my neck and took a deep breath. I felt his hands on my body as he ripped my shirt open. I felt him push his way between my legs as he prepared to enter me. I pushed and scratched at him trying to get him off me._

"NOOO, PLEASE!"I screamed as I snapped my eyes open.

The car had been pulled over to the side of the road. Edward was holding me in his arm. I realized that I had tears pouring down my face. Everyone else was standing outside of the car. I pulled out of Edward's arms and jumped out of the car. I started running down the road pulling at my clothes. I could feel his hands on me. I could feel his breath on me. I needed to get him off of me. I felt Edward pull me to the ground.

"Please get him off of me," I sobbed. "Please help me."

"Baby, he isn't here," whispered Edward as he let his tears fall. "I promise, love."

"Please," I wailed as I melted into Edwards arms.

We sat on the side of the road for several minutes before Edward managed to get me back on my feet. He walked me back over to the car. Everyone wrapped their arms around me and promised not to let him get me. I know they meant well, but Jacob, or whoever was after me, was not going give up until he gets me again.

We finally managed to get back inside of the car. No one said another word for the rest of the trip. I could feel the fatigue hit my body but I was afraid to sleep. Edward just wrapped me in his arms and held me, humming to me for the next fourteen hours. We finally pulled up in front of the beach house. Edward swept me into his arms and carried me upstairs to our room. He laid me on the bed and we cried together for the next few hours. I eventually passed out from exhaustion. I had several nightmares but Edward held me tight and never let me go.

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**Thank you for all the awesome reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

I woke up the next morning alone. I looked around for Edward but I couldn't find him. I didn't remember where I was for a moment. Suddenly, Jacob Black's cold eyes were shoved into the front part of my mind. I screamed and jumped out of the bed and crouched in a corner as I began to shake and sob. I heard the door get thrown open. Edward wrapped his arms around me and held me close.

"It's ok, love. I'm right here," he whispered.

"I was alone," I whispered.

"I'm sorry, love. I went to get us some breakfast," said Edward as the others came running into the room.

"What the fuck is going on?" bellowed Emmett. I cringed into Edward's embrace.

"Em, shut the fuck up," grumbled Edward. "She just got scared."

"What scared you, Bella?" asked Carlisle as he knelt down next to me.

"I woke up alone. I forgot where I was for a moment," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye. "I'm sorry."

"Sweetheart, you don't have anything to be sorry about," said Esme softly.

"Love, I shouldn't have left you alone. It's my fault," whispered Edward as a tear fell from his eye. I looked up and gently wiped it away.

"It's not your fault, E," I whispered softly.

"Guys, let's give them a few minutes alone," said Jasper. I heard everyone leave quietly.

"B, are you ok now?" asked Edward.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I whispered as I sat up a little. "I just didn't know where I was for a moment."

"I thought you might like breakfast in bed," said Edward as he stood up. He lifted me into his arms and carried me back to his bed.

"I'm not really hungry," I said softly.

"Love, you need to eat. You haven't eaten anything since we left Forks," said Edward.

"I'll eat something later. I'm just not hungry. I think I am going to go sit on the deck for awhile."

"Ok, I'll come with you," said Edward.

"No, I need to be by myself," I whispered softly.

"Oh," said Edward dejectedly.

"I love you, E. I just some time to process this," I said as I gently grabbed his face in my hands. I slowly pressed my lips to his.

"Ok, B. I love you too."

I stood up and went into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from Edward's dresser. I needed to have him close while having some time away from him. I went downstairs and found everyone sitting in the living room. As soon as they saw me, they stopped talking and looked at me. I could tell that they had been talking about me. I just rolled my eyes at them all.

"Guys, I'm fine," I said. "I will be out on the deck for a little while."

"We'll come with you, B," said Alice as she grabbed Rose's hand.

"No, I need sometime alone," I whispered as I backed away from them all.

"B, it's not safe-" started Jasper. I was getting frustrated that they were treating me like I was a two year old.

"J, let her go. She will be right outside the door," said Edward as he came down the stairs.

"But-" said Emmett. I finally had enough.

"I'll be fine. I'm not a fucking baby," I snapped at them all.

I turned and walked out of the house. I know they only meant to protect me but I just couldn't handle being around them all right now. I needed some time to get my head on straight. I knew now that Jacob Black did indeed have some kind of obsession with me but I didn't understand why he did or why he decided to use Charlie in his game to get me here, if he was in fact the man who killed Charlie.

It made no since why he suddenly decided now was the time to act on his feelings. He has been watching me for five years. He knew where I lived in LA. It's not like I haven't been back a handful of times since I left Forks for LA. True, most of the time Charlie came to see us but he said he understood that with our schedules, it was just easier for him to travel than it was for us. Especially since most of the people in Forks had proven to be less than supportive of our career choices. I felt a chill run through my body when I though about Jacob watching Edward and I making love. Why would he watch us? What kind of sick fucker would do that? Did Charlie know that Jacob had some kind of obsession with me? If so, why wouldn't he tell me? Why would he go to Newton's to meet him alone?

I sat on the deck for hours. Edward came out around lunch time and brought me a turkey sandwich and a bottle of water. I tried to refuse it but he put his foot down and insisted that I eat it. I finally agreed. He kissed me softly and went back inside, giving me some more time alone. I know it hurt him that I needed to be alone but I just needed this time. I knew he was going to be with me forever. I was his and he was mine. I just prayed that Jacob couldn't find me.

Several times during the afternoon, Rose and Alice came out to check on me. I yelled and screamed at them to leave me alone. I know they only wanted to help but I needed to fix this myself. All of my life, they have been taking care of me. They fought girls at school who picked on me for dressing like a boy for so many years. They fought against those who called me a freak when I went into my rocker look. They fought against the people who told us that we would never make it as musicians in LA. They told us that we would come crawling back home begging Charlie to let us come home. We, including Charlie, told them to all to fuck off. This was just one battle they couldn't fight for me.

Before I knew it the sun was setting along the shores of the ocean. I sat there and watched as the sky changed from periwinkle blue to the darkest oranges, reflecting off the oceans water. It was incredibly beautiful.

Once the sun set, I got up and went back into the house. Everyone was in the living room watching TV. They all turned and looked at me. I just wrapped my arms around my body and walked in the music room. I sat down at the piano and just stared at the keys for a few minutes. I placed my fingers on the keys. I let the music pour out of my fingers.

I poured out my grief for Charlie. He was my father, the only parent I ever had. From the day I was born, he was the one who held me, feed me, loved me. I poured out my anger against Jacob, or whoever it was who took my father away. For him deciding to use my father as a pawn in his sick game. For every private moment that he had captured with his camera. I poured out my anger for every time he watched Edward and I as we made love. He stole a piece away from me. I wanted it back.

I didn't hear the others come into room as I played. I didn't hear them start to cry in each other's arms as they felt my anger and pain. It wasn't until I felt Edward wrap his arms around me and pull me close that I realized that I had been sobbing uncontrollably as I played. I hit my fist against his chest as I screamed.

"HE STOLE A PART OF ME. I WANT IT BACK. I WANT CHARLIE BACK. I WANT MY PRIVACY BACK. IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR!" I screamed as I continued to hit Edward's chest. "WHO SAID HE COULD DO THIS? WHY THE FUCK DID HE PICK ME?"

"I don't know, baby," whispered Edward as his chest shook with his own sobs.

"IT'S NOT FUCKING FAIR!" I screamed.

"I know it's not fair, love," whispered Edward.

He picked me up and carried me past our family. I could heard them crying but I couldn't focus on them. I knew what I needed. Edward laid me on his bed and climbed in next to me. He pulled me into his arms. I reached up and kissed him hard. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. I needed him now. I reached down and started to undo his pants. Edward reached down and stopped my hands.

"B, what are you doing?" asked Edward.

"I want you, E. I want you right now," I whispered as I pulled my hands out of his grip. "Please?"

"B, we can't," whispered Edward. I pulled away from him. I should have known he wouldn't want me anymore.

"Oh, I understand," I said as I pulled away and stood up. "I'll leave you alone."

"B, that's not what I meant. I want to but just not because you are afraid, love," whispered Edward as he jumped up and grabbed my arm gently.

"I'm not afraid, E. I still feel his hands on me. I need to feel you. Please?" I whispered.

"Are you sure, B?" whispered Edward.

"Yes, my love. I love you," I whispered as I kissed him softly.

"I love you, too," he whispered as he slowly pulled off my shirt.

"Beautiful." murmured Edward as he began caressing my body gently.

I lifted my arms and started unbuttoning his shirt. As soon as I had all the buttons opened, I pushed it down his arms and threw it to the side. I slowly unbuttoned his pants and pulled his zipper down. I pushed the pants to his feet. I watched him step out of them and kick them to the side. Edward reached behind me and unhooked my bra and tossed to the side. I felt his hands reach up and gently caress my breast. I couldn't stop the moan that left my lips when I felt his hands on me. Edward lifted me up and laid me on the bed. He kissed me gently on the lips before making his way down to my neck and to the valley between my breast. He took one of my nipples into his mouth and sucked on it while he rolled the other one between his fingers. He slowly made his way down my torso till he was at the top of my shorts. He slowly pulled them and my panties off of me. I felt Edward gently lower his mouth on to my throbbing wet core.

As soon as I felt his tongue on me, I bucked my hips slightly. Edward pressed my legs apart as he continued to plunge his tongue into me. I felt him take my clit into his mouth at the same time that he inserted one finger.

"E…don't…stop," I begged.

Edward started moving his finger in and out of me as he nibble on my clit. I could feel my orgasm building as he inserted another finger. I felt wave after wave of pleasure rush over me as I climaxed. Edward continued to devour me as I came down from my high. I felt him kiss his way up my body before he kissed me hard. I could feel his erection pressing into my thigh. I needed him now.

"E, please, I need you now," I whispered.

"I love you, B," whispered Edward as he slowly started to push into me.

I gasped as he filled me completely. He paused and gave me a kiss. I couldn't stop the tear that rolled down the side of my face. Edward leaned down and kissed it away as he whispered that it was going to be ok. After a few minutes, Edward slowly started moving in and out of me. I wrapped my legs around his waist.

"B, you feel so good," he whispered.

"God, E, don't ever stop loving me," I mumbled as he moved faster.

I knew I wasn't going to make it much longer. I could feel the tension starting to build again. I pulled Edward's lips down to mine and kissed him as my body exploded with another orgasm.

"Fuck, E….. I'm going to….cum," I screamed as I felt my entire body shake.

Edward began thrusting faster and I could tell that he was getting close to his own release. I wrapped my legs tight around him pulling him into me deeper than he was before. He pushed into me a few more times before he spilled inside of me while moaning my name. We laid like that for a moment, with our bodies still connected.

Eventually, Edward laid down on the bed next to me and pulled me into his arms. He whispered his love to me over and over as he held me. We fell asleep in each others arms, hoping that nobody would tear us apart.

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**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all the reviews! I really hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am enjoying writing it.**


	15. Chapter 15

I woke up just after sun started to rise. I didn't have a single nightmare as I slept in Edward's protective embrace. Edward was still asleep so I climbed off the bed and I pulled on Edward's shirt and boxers on before I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. I slipped out of the room and sat on the balcony outside of our room.

Edward made me feel so safe, so loved. He always had, even before I realized I was in love with him. He had always been my best friend. When we were little, he was the one who held me when I fell down and scrapped my knee. He was the one who held me when I cried in kindergarten when I was the only one in our class who's mom wasn't at our Valentine's party, even though Esme said she was my mom too.

Edward never cared when the boys in our class made fun of him for playing with a girl. He didn't let them make fun of me for dressing like a boy either. He, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice accepted me for how I was. They accepted me for who I was. Edward loved me for who I was.

As I sat there watching the sun slowly rise over the ocean, I realized I was tired of living my life apart from Edward. We were going to have to make a decision about our future. We had spent too much time apart from each other. I was tired of spending the majority of my time without him. I heard Edward stirring inside our room so I stood up and went back inside. He looked up at me with a lustful look on his face.

"See something you like, Cullen?" I purred.

"No, I see the woman I love," smirked Edward as he stood up and walked over to me. He was completely naked and happy to see me from the look of his raging erection. Edward placed his arms on the wall on either side of me. He was barley two inches away from me. "As much as I fucking love to see you in my clothes, I would much rather see you out of them."

"Really? So you would like it if I just slipped off your shirt like this?" I purred as I slowly pulled the shirt off and dropped it to the floor.

"Yes," he whispered softly as he reached out and gently cupped my breast.

"And you want me to slip your boxers down my legs like this?" I whispered as I slowly pushed his boxers down my hips and let them fall.

"You are so beautiful, love," whispered Edward so softly I barely heard him.

I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. Edward pressed me against the wall as he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He slowly slid his cock into me. He started moving in and out of me slowly. He was making love to me. He pressed his lips to mine again. We kept our lips moving against each other's as we slowly made love. I pulled him closer to me as I felt my climax starting to build.

Edward slid his hands down and cupped my ass as he moved us to the bed. He laid me down on the edge of the bed and started moving faster inside of me. I kept my legs wrapped around his waist as he pumped into me. I could tell he was getting close to his own orgasm as well. I started thrusting my hips against his. I could feel every inch of him moving deep inside of me.

"E, please," I moaned.

"What do you want, love?" he panted.

"Please, cum with me," I begged. "Baby, please, cum with me now."

"I love you, B. I've loved you forever," he moaned as he spilled inside of me as my walls clenched down on to him.

"I love you, too," I whispered as he pulled out of me. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a gentle kiss. "Edward, will you marry me?"

"What?" he asked as he looked down at me as I saw a big smile spread across his face.

"Will you marry me?" I asked, again. He leaned down and kissed me softly.

"Yes, love, I will marry you," he whispered.

"Thank you, Edward," I whispered as a tear fell from my eye.

"Bella, you have made me the happiest man on the entire plant. I should thank you," chuckled Edward before he kissed me again.

"You can," I smirked, bucking me hips up at him.

Edward growled and crushed his lips to mine again as we made love again. Our bodies moved slowly. We didn't need to rush anything. We had all the time in the world. We would be together forever. I knew that Charlie would be glad that the Edward and I would be together forever. I think he always knew that Edward was my soul mate, my one true love. I was overcome by my emotions as Edward and I came together that my tears spilled over and fell down my face. Edward leaned down and kissed my tears away. He knew I was crying happy tears this time.

We laid in each other's arms and talked about what kind of wedding we wanted. We both wanted something small and simple. I was still worried about Jacob, or whoever was after me, but I realized that I can't let him control my life. I can't let the fear overwhelm me. If I do, then I am letting him have the control and I can't do that.

After a couple hours of laying in each others arms, we finally got up and took a shower together. We pulled on some shorts and t-shirts and went downstairs to get some lunch. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and led me down the stairs. We walked into the kitchen with our arms wrapped around each other. It was almost like we were afraid to let each other go. Like we would disappear if we did. Everyone had just sat down at the table to eat when they turned and looked at us. I could tell they were still worried about me.

"Guys, I'm fine," I said softly. "I'm sorry I pushed you all away yesterday. I just needed some time to get my head on straight."

"It's ok, B. We didn't want to push you but we were so worried about you," said Alice as she came over and hugged me.

"You are our baby sister, B. It's our job to help you," said Rose.

"I know, Rosie, but you couldn't help me with this. I'm sorry. I just love you all so much," I said as I hugged Rose.

"Just don't run from us again," said Rose.

"I will try not to," I whispered.

"Well, I guess that is about all I can ask for," said Rose.

"Bella, honey, how does your neck feel?" asked Carlisle.

"It's a little sore," I said.

"I need to put a new dressing on it. Why don't we go to the bathroom and do it?" asked Carlisle.

"Ok," I said as I followed him out of the kitchen and into the bathroom. He pulled the used bandage off and cleaned the wound.

"I was afraid it would get infected but it looks great," said Carlisle as he put a new bandage on it. "Bella, you know it is ok to let us help you, don't you? I know you are tough and can handle a lot but we all love you very much. We don't want to lose you."

"I know, Carlisle," I said softly. "It's just I didn't know what I needed. I felt like I was going to ….explode or something. I had all of these feeling inside. I'm still not sure if I even understand what I am feeling. I just feel so violated. He has pictures of my most private moments. It made me feel dirty."

"Bella, he took a part of you every time he snapped a picture. It is normal to feel like you this after finding out he has been watching you for so long but you can't keep it all locked up inside. It's important that you get it out, even if that means you need to yell and scream again. I truly don't understand why he felt he needed to do this. I wish I could help more. Just remember that we are all here anytime you need to talk."

"Thanks, Carlisle," I whispered softly. "I'll remember."

We went back into the kitchen and joined the others. Edward had made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, my favorite. I sat in his lap while I ate it. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around me while we ate. The others were trying not to watch me to closely but I could tell that I had scared them with my self imposed isolation. I also knew that no matter how many times I reassured them that I was ok that they wouldn't stop.

So I decided now would be a good time to distract them. I leaned into Edward and whispered my idea into his ear. He just laughed loudly and nodded his head. I couldn't help the laughter that exploded from my chest. We sat there laughing together for a few moments, while our family looked at us like we were crazy.

"Would either of you like to share with the rest of us what is so funny?" asked Emmett.

"It's really not that funny," I smirked as we kept chuckling. "Besides, I don't think you all could handle it."

"What?" snapped Jasper. "Tell us now."

"Really, you wouldn't be able to control yourselves if we told you." chuckled Edward. I bit my lip slightly when I saw Rose and Alice narrow their eyes at us.

"One of you had better tell us what the fuck is going on right now," snapped Rose. I just started laughing again.

"This isn't fucking funny anymore, Isabella Marie Swan," snapped Alice. I could feel Edward shaking with his silent laughter. God, I loved playing with their minds. "Tell us now."

"Mary Alice, calm the fuck down," I chuckled. "Usually a wedding would make you happy."

"Isabella Marie, you had better…wait what?" snapped Alice.

"What do you mean a wedding?" said Rosalie. I could see her almost vibrating as she looked from me to Edward.

"You know, where two people promise a bunch of crap and exchange rings before they kiss," I chuckled.

"Bella, who is getting married?" asked Esme with a twinkle in her eye as she looked between Edward and I. I just smiled at her softly.

"E and I have decided to get married," I whispered softly.

"OH MY GOD!!" screamed Rose, Alice and Esme as they jumped up and pulled me off of Edward's lap and into their arms.

"We are so happy for you, B," gushed Alice.

"It's about fucking time," chuckled Rose.

"Congratulations, Bella," whispered Esme. I noticed she had tears pouring down her face.

"Thank you, Esme," I whispered softly, hugging her tightly. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw Carlisle with tears in this own eyes. I pulled away and hugged him.

"Bella, honey, I am very happy for you and Edward," said Carlisle.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I whispered.

"B?" asked Emmett. I pulled away and looked over at him. He was watching me with huge smile plastered on his face. "You're finally making an honest man out my little bro."

"Yep," I smirked, winking at him.

"It's about fucking time," snickered Jasper.

"Yeah, he managed to convince me it was time. I mean, he does this thing with his tongue…." I sighed as I trailed off.

"GROSS," shuddered everyone but Edward.

"Fuck, I love you, B," chuckled Edward pulling me into his arms and kissing me. "Dirty mind and all."

"Aw, that's so sweet, E," I giggled.

"Enough mushy shit," squealed Alice, pulling away from Edward. "We have a wedding to plan."

Alice dragged me into the study with a giddy Rose and a giggly Esme following us. I could hear Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle all laughing as I groaned. I would get them back for all of this. Knowing Alice, she would make them suffer just as much, if not more, than she was making me.

Alice, Rose, Esme, and I spent the rest of the afternoon huddled around the computer looking at website after website of wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, flower arraignments, wedding cakes, wedding venues, invitations and so much more. I just sat back and said 'yeah' and 'sure' every time one of them would ask me a question. Honestly, I didn't even need the wedding. I just wanted to marry Edward

As I climbed into bed next to Edward and laid on my chest, I knew that I would do whatever I could to marry him as soon as possible. My only fear was that Jacob or whoever was after me, would get me before I could marry him. That was a terrifying thought.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. Keep them coming, my lovely readers!**


	16. Chapter 16

_I smiled softly as I heard the music began to play. Alice looked back at me and smiled before she started her walk down the to the front of the isle. Her chocolate silk dress hugging her curves with each step she took. Rose kissed my check before she smoothed her own dress, turned and made her walk down the isle, and stood next to Alice. Carlisle smiled and wrapped my arm around his as the music changed and the wedding march started. _

"_Are you ready, sweetheart?" asked Carlisle. I smiled._

"_Yes," I whispered._

_Carlisle smiled back as we slowly started down the isle to where Edward was waiting for me. Edward smiled as he looked up at me. He let a tear slip down his face. Carlisle leaned down and kissed my check before he placed my hand in Edward's and went to sit next to Esme. Edward pulled my hand up to his lips._

"_You look beautiful, my love," he whispered._

"_As do you," I whispered through my tears. We turned and faced Reverend Weber, who was smiling at the two of us._

"_Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Isabella and Edward in holy matrimony. If there is any one here who objects to this union, speak up now or forever hold your peace," said Reverend Weber. _

"_I object," said a deep husky voice. Everyone gasped as we looked back and saw Jacob Black standing in the door way of the church, wearing a smirk. "She can't marry him. She belongs to me."_

"_No, I don't," I yelled at him. Jacob walked up the isle and pulled me away from Edward. "Get the fuck off of me."_

"_My beautiful Swan, you are mine," growled Jacob, as he started pulling me down the isle._

"_NO!" I screamed. "LET ME GO!" _

_Why wasn't Edward trying to stop him? Why wasn't anyone trying to stop him? I turned and looked back at everyone. I felt my stomach drop as I saw Emmett and Jasper draped over the alter, dead. Alice and Rose were sprawled out on the ground with blood oozing out of them. Carlisle and Esme were leaning against each other with bullet holes in their heads. Ben, Angela, Reverend Weber, everyone was dead. My eyes flittered to the end of the isle. Edward was crumpled up in a bloody mess._

"_NO, E!" I screamed as I fought against Jacob's grip on my arm. "BABY, NO!"_

"_He's gone," sneered Jacob. "You're mine now."_

"_NO, I'M NOT YOURS," I screamed._

_Jacob threw me onto the ground and pounced on me. He brought his hand up and backhanded me. I tried to move my arms to hit him back but he had them pinned under his legs. He ripped my wedding dress down the middle, exposing my strapless bra covered breast. His eyes darkened as he ripped my bra from my body. The straps cut into my skin causing me to cry out. Jacob somehow managed to push his way between my legs as he ripped my dress off of me completely, leaving me naked. _

"_NO!" I screamed as I tried to fight him off. "LEAVE ME ALONE. I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU SO MUCH."_

"_You will learn to love me, my beautiful swan," he murmured against my neck._

"_Please don't do this," I sobbed as I felt him sliding his pants down his legs. _

"_I have to have you," he murmured. "I have to know what it feels like to be buried deep inside of you like he gets to be."_

_Jacob pressed his hand over my mouth as I started screaming for someone to help me. Anyone to help me. I tried to pull my arms free but he had them pinned down somehow. I felt him position himself at my opening before he leaned down to my ear. _

"_You will always be mine," he whispered._

"NOOOOOOOOOO," I screamed as I snapped my eyes open.

Edward was sitting on the bed, holding my arms down as I writhed and flailed all over the bed. He had scratch marks on his arms and blood pouring out of his nose. I could barely hear the others in the background, sobbing to each other, as I pushed Edward off of me.

He went flying off the bed onto the floor as I sprang off the bed and ran into the bathroom. I turned on the hot water as I stepped into the tub. I fell to my knees and started scrubbing my skin. I had to get him off of me. I could feel his hands on me, his breath on my neck. I could feel him as he…..

"NO!" I screamed again, shaking my head to get rid of those thoughts.

"Baby, it's ok," whispered Edward, climbing into the shower with me. He wrapped his arms around me as he slid to the floor behind me, letting the hot water wash over the both of us. "He's not here, love. He can't hurt you. I've got you."

"Jacob Black killed you all," I sobbed, uncontrollably. Edward tightened his arms around me. "We were standing in front of the church getting married and he killed all of you. He said I was his. I begged him not to hurt me, E. I begged him to leave me alone but he wouldn't. Don't let him hurt me, Baby. Please don't let leave me. I can't live without you."

"I'm never leaving you, B," cried Edward. "Never. Do you hear me? You and I are forever. You are my life, Baby."

"I want him to leave us alone," I sobbed. "I want every part of my soul that he sucked out with his fucking camera back. He had no right to take those moments from us."

"I know, love," whispered Edward, rocking me back and forth. "I know."

Someone, I'm not sure who, turned off the water and threw a couple of towels on us. Edward just kept his arms wrapped around me as he whispered over and over that he would take care of me, that he wouldn't let me go, until I fell asleep in his arms again.

I groaned as I woke up sometime later. I reached over for Edward but his side of the bed was empty. I sprang up and looked around. I was still in our room at the beach house but I was alone. I could hear him standing outside the door, talking to someone. I slipped out of the bed and went over and listened.

"I don't know what to do," said Edward. "I couldn't get her to wake up last night, Dad. She was freaking out. I was so scared."

"I know, Edward," said Carlisle. "We need to get her to talk to us. She's holding too much in right now. She just lost her father. She hasn't had time to properly grieve and she feels guilty because whoever killed Charlie did so to get to her."

"What do I do to help her?" asked Edward. I could hear the pain in his voice.

"I don't know," sighed Carlisle. "Just be there for her. That's all you can do for now."

I turned and went over and stood in the balcony doors. I was hurting them all. Logically, I knew that it wasn't my fault that Jacob was after me, if it even was Jacob. It still didn't make sense to me that Jacob would wait five years to suddenly decide to come after me. Why would he just now decide to use Charlie to get to me? It didn't make sense to me but I guess that's the thing. None of this made sense.

I heard the door open but I didn't look back. I knew it was Edward. He came over and wrapped his arms around me and lowered his lips to my neck.

"You ok?" he whispered.

"No," I whispered. "I hurt you last night."

"You didn't mean to," whispered Edward. I sighed and pulled out of his arms and I went back into our room.

"It doesn't matter if I meant to," I said, harshly. I turned and looked at him. "I hit you. I scratched you, E. I don't want to hurt you again."

"Baby, it wasn't you," said Edward. I shook my head. "No, listen to me. It wasn't you. It was the fear you were feeling during your nightmare."

"What if I hurt you again?" I asked. "What if this time, I really hurt you?"

"Then I will take it like a man because I will not leave you, B," said Edward, pulling me back into his arms. I sighed and laid my head on his chest. "Love, it's not like you meant to hurt me. I will not leave you, ever."

"Promise," I whispered.

"I promise," whispered Edward. I bit my lip as I looked up at him. "I love you, B. That will never change."

"I love you, too," I whispered.

"Are you hungry?" asked Edward.

"A little," I said. "How freaked out are the others?"

"Pretty freaked out," he said. "But they will be ok."

"If you say so," I muttered.

"Why don't you change into some clean clothes and then we can get some food inside of you," said Edward.

"Ok," I said softly.

I kissed him softly before I turned to the dresser and pulled out some clean clothes. I quickly changed and held his hand as we went downstairs to the kitchen. Everyone stopped talking as soon as we came in. I barely managed not to roll my eyes. _They are just worried about you_, I reminded myself.

"Morning," I mumbled, awkwardly.

"Morning," said Esme. "Can I get you some breakfast?"

"I'm just going to have some cereal," I said, not meeting their eyes.

"Ok," she said, sitting back in her seat. I poured my cereal into a bowl and added some milk before I went over and sat down next to Edward, who laid his arm on the back of my seat.

"Well, B, I have to say I am surprised to see you not wearing E's clothes this morning," said Emmett after a couple of awkward minutes.

"I like to keep you guessing, Em," I said softly.

"That you do," he chuckled, winking at me. I smiled softly. "As long as E isn't wearing your clothes, we're good."

"Too late," I smirked causing Edward to groan.

"What?" asked Jasper, looking from me to Edward. "Explain."

"Nope," snickered Edward, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

"Um, tell us now," demanded Alice.

"Nah," I smiled at my sister.

"Please?" begged Rose.

"Sorry," said Edward, with a smirk.

"Dude, you wore women's clothes?" asked Emmett. Edward nodded his head. "That is just…."

"Disturbing," grumbled Carlisle. "But I'm sure there is a great story behind it so, please, tell us."

"I don't think so," smirked Edward.

"Edward, honey, tell your mother why you were wearing Bella's clothes," said Esme, patting his hand in a very mom like way.

"Using the mom voice is cheating, Esme," I smirked.

Esme stuck her tongue out at me. I chuckled softly as I finished my cereal and laid my head on his shoulder. I just sat there and listened to my family beg Edward for details. He refused to tell them anything but I could tell he was enjoying egging them on. Edward and I had made a bet over a football game. Needless to say, I won and dressed Edward up in my clothes. He made pretty girl.

As I sat with my head on Edward's shoulder and listened to them teasing him and each other, I realized several things. First, I was lucky to have them with me right now. I hadn't made it easy for them over the last few days but they hadn't left me. They were sitting here making the effort to act like I hadn't lost it last night. Second, I had to find a way to protect them. I had to keep them safe because if I couldn't handle losing any one of them. Thirdly, well, the third revelation wasn't going to make Alice, Rose, or Esme very happy but I knew this was what I needed.

"I want to go to Vegas and get married tonight," I said, interrupting Emmett as he started to say something. They all turned and looked at me. Based on the looks on Esme, Rose, and Alice's faces, this wasn't going to go over very well.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. Keep them coming cause they make me as giddy as schoolgirl!**


	17. Chapter 17

_I was curdled up in the corner of my room, sobbing into my knees, when I felt someone come over and pick me up. I looked up through my tear filled eyes and saw Charlie holding me. He sat down on my bed with me in his lap._

"_What's wrong with my mini me?" he asked. "You shouldn't be crying on your birthday."_

"_It's not fair," I whispered as I snuggled into my father's warm arms. _

"_What's not fair, Honey?" whispered Charlie._

"_That I never knew Mommy," I whispered. "Rosie, Ali, and I were looking through your picture books. There were so many pictures of you and Mommy with Rosie and Ali but none of her with me."_

"_I'm sorry, Sweetheart," he whispered. "I wish there hundreds of pictures of you and Mommy together but there's not. Honey, she loved you so much."_

"_She did?" I asked._

"_Oh, yes, she did," sighed Charlie as we laid back on my bed. "Mommy used to sit in this room for hours, rubbing her belly and talking to you. She said you loved it the most when she sat in front of the window. She would tell you about everything she did with Rose and Alice. She was so excited about you. You know she dreamed about you before she even got pregnant with you."_

"_She did?" I gasped._

"_Yes," whispered Charlie. "It was right after Alice was born. Mommy had been up all night with her. She was so tired when I got home from work that I told her to go to bed and I would take care of Rose and Alice. She woke up a few hours later with a huge smile on her face. She said she dreamed of a beautiful little girl with my eyes. She said she was my mini me. She said she knew that one day, we would have you and our family would be complete. When we were trying to decide what to name you, she said Isabella was the only name that worked because Bella means beautiful. She was right, honey."_

"_Daddy, did you always know you wanted to marry Mommy?" I asked._

"_I knew the moment I saw her that I wanted to marry her," chuckled Charlie. _

"_Daddy, Rosie and Ali said that when I get married I have to have a big, fancy wedding. Is that true?" I asked._

"_Honey, you can have any kind of wedding you want," said Charlie. "As long as it makes you happy."_

"_I love you, Daddy," I whispered as I yawned._

"_I love you, too, my mini me," whispered Charlie_

I shook my head softly as I pulled myself out of my daydream. I was seven years old when Charlie told me all of that. It had been the hardest but the best birthday I ever had. I sighed inwardly and looked at my family. Alice, Rose, and Esme were glaring at me still. I rolled my eyes as I set my bowl on the table.

"Look, I know you are upset-"

"Upset doesn't even begin to cover it," snapped Alice. Her anger was flashing in her eyes. "Why would you want to run to Vegas and have some tacky wedding?"

"Just listen to me-"

"No, you listen to us, Isabella," snapped Rose. Never a good thing when Rose pulls out Isabella. "We've been waiting years for you and E to finally get over this hang up you both have about marriage and make that trek down the isle. It's not right that you are trying to rob us of seeing that."

"I'm not. If you would just let me explain," I said, trying to stay calm. I could feel Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle looking back and forth between the four of us girls. Edward was being quiet. He was smart enough to know not to get involved in this argument.

"No, Isabella," said Esme, trying to stay calm but not succeeding. "We won't let you rob us of throwing you a wedding."

"I don't want a fucking wedding," I snapped as I stood up. I went over and threw my bowl in the sink before I turned back to them. "All I want is to marry E. I don't want all that shit. It's not me."

"It's not all about you," snapped Alice. "Maybe we want all that shit."

"You had all of it at your wedding, Alice," I snapped. "Since this is mine and E's wedding, it pretty much about me and him and what we want."

"No, it's not," said Rose, standing up. "It's not right that you would take this away from E either."

"I'm fine with Vegas," piped up Edward.

"Nobody asked you," growled Rose, glaring at him.

"It's his choice too," I yelled. "Being as we are the ones getting married and all."

"Everyone calm down," bellowed Emmett. Rose and Alice folded their arms across their chests. "Now, B, surely you can understand why they want you to have a wedding."

"Yeah," I muttered. "But E and I don't want a wedding. Shouldn't what we want matter more than what they want seeing as we are the ones getting married?"

"Perhaps," said Jasper, "but you don't know how long we've been waiting for this."

"Look, it's not like you guys can't come to Vegas with us," said Edward, coming over and wrapping his arms around me. "We want you there with us."

"Well, then why can't we just have a small wedding here?" asked Esme. "Just us."

"Esme," whined Alice. "B shouldn't have a small wedding. She should have a huge wedding with all our friends."

"Why?" I cried, finally having enough. "So Jacob Black can come in and kill everyone I love?"

I pulled out of Edward's arms and stormed out of the house. Not a one of them, but Edward, seemed to understand that what I wanted. No, what we wanted. Ok, maybe Carlisle does but he would be the only one who did. He never cared what we did as long as we weren't getting into trouble. That's why he and Charlie got along so well. They both understood that we needed to be ourselves and not conform to what people wanted us to be.

I stomped my way through the sandy beach, down to the shore line and plopped down, letting the warm water wash up over my legs. Charlie and I used to sit here on the beach like this whenever we came here. I was too scared to actually go into the water thanks to Emmett making me watch Jaws when I was five. So Charlie would sit on the shore with me and we would let the waves come up and hit us. It was our time. I missed him so much.

I heard the others come over and sit down next to me but I didn't bother looking around at them. I took a deep breath and pulled my knees up to my chest as Edward wrapped his arms around me.

"We were standing in the church back in Forks. The music started to play. I was so happy because E and I were finally going to get married. Ali walked down to the front. She looked so beautiful. Then Rose smiled at me and followed her down. Finally, it was my turn. Carlisle wrapped my hand around his arm and walked me down to Edward. We were all so happy. I could feel the joy radiating off everyone. Ben and Angela were there. Reverend Weber asked if anyone objected. For a spilt second no one said anything. Then he piped up. We all turned and saw Jacob Black standing at the end of the isle. He said I couldn't marry E because I was his. I screamed at him that I wasn't his. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me away," I sobbed softly. "I didn't understand why no one was stopping him. I looked back and you were all dead. He had killed you all. I fought so hard but I couldn't get away. He hit me….he ripped my dress off….and he…."

"It's ok, B," whispered Edward, tightening his arms around me. I could hear the others sobbing softly.

"It's not ok," I cried. "I want him to leave me alone. I want to go back to my life. I want to my daddy back. I just want my daddy."

"B, I do too but he's gone," sobbed Rose, wrapping her arms around us. "I hate Jacob for taking him away from us but you still have us. You aren't alone."

"I can't lose you and Ali, Rosie," I sobbed. " I can't lose the boys, or Carlisle and Esme. Please don't let him take me from you."

"We won't," cried Alice, joining our hug. "We are not going to let anyone hurt you, B."

"You're our sister, B," whispered Emmett, rubbing my back.

"We are in this together," whispered Jasper.

"Bella, sweetheart," whispered Esme, pulling me from everyone else into her own arms. "You have to have faith that we will protect you."

"Esme, if he hurts you…" I trailed off through my tears. "I can't lose you. You're the only mom I have."

"I know, Sweetheart," whispered Esme. "I won't let anyone hurt my girls. None of my girls, ok?"

"Do you promise?" I whispered.

"Yes, Bella, we promise not to let anyone hurt you," whispered Carlisle, wiping the tears off my face. "Now, are you sure getting married in Vegas is what you want?"

"Yes," I whispered.

"Then we will go to Vegas," he whispered before he leaned down and kissed my forehead. "All we care about is you being happy, sweetheart."

"Thank you, Carlisle," I whispered. I turned and looked at my sisters. "Please just do this my way."

"Ok, Bella," said Rose, grabbing my hand. "If this is what you want, then Em and I will support you."

"Thank you, Rosie," I said softly. "Ali?"

"B, are you sure?" asked Alice.

"Yes, Ali," I said. "I'm sure."

"Ok, B," said Alice. "Then J and I are behind you and E one hundred percent."

"Thank you," I whispered, hugging my sisters. "I love you so much."

"We love you too," whispered Rose.

"Well, if we are going to Vegas, we had better get going," sighed Alice. We all stood up and headed back toward the house. "You aren't going to insist on having Elvis marry you or anything, are you?"

"Oh, that's a great idea," I laughed. "I can just see him now in his white sequined jumpsuit."

"Please tell me you are joking," begged Alice, while the others laughed.

"Nope," I smirked. "I've never been more serious."

"B," whined Alice.

The rest of us laughed as we headed upstairs to change. Ten minutes later, we loaded up in the car and headed to Vegas. Alice, Rose, and Esme spent the entire drive begging Edward and I not to get married by Elvis while Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle all begged us to. It was probably one of the most entertaining road trips we had ever been on.

We pulled up in front of the wedding chapel several hours later. One with Elvis, of course. Rose, Alice, and Esme all glared at the rest of us as we climbed out of the car and ran inside, trying not to attract too much attention. It would be impossible to keep our marriage from the press but at least we hoped to get married without attraction too much attention.

It took us about ten minutes to sign our marriage license. Edward kissed me before he made his way up to the front with Emmett, Jasper, and Esme. Carlisle went to follow him but I grabbed him arm, stopping him. He looked back and seemed to understand my silent request as he just nodded and looped my arm in with his. He understood that he wasn't taking Charlie's place in my heart but that he was my father too.

The music started and Alice rolled her eyes as she made her way down the isle to 'Blue Suede Shoes'. I thought it was kind of cool. Rose followed her, not looking any happier about our music choice. The music changed to the wedding march and I took a deep breath as Carlisle and I made our way down the isle to Elvis and Edward.

Edward was smiling the biggest smile I have ever seen on his face. This was all I cared about. This moment of seeing him happy because when Edward was happy, I was happy. That's how we worked. Carlisle kissed my check as he place my hand in Edward's. We turned and faced Elvis, a really bad Elvis I might add.

"We are gathered here today to witness the exchange of vows between Isabella and Edward. Is there anyone here who objects to this marriage?" asked Elvis.

I held my breath for a moment. Edward squeezed my hand. I looked up at him. He winked and I let my breath go. We turned back to Elvis who just smiled and did his little hip, shaking move. I heard Alice muttering under her breath. Edward and I kept our eyes locked on each others as we repeated our vows to each other.

"I, Isabella, take you, Edward…"

"I, Edward, take you, Isabella…"

"…to be my lawfully wedded husband…"

"…to be my lawfully wedded wife…"

"…to have and to hold…."

"…through good times and bad…"

"…in sickness and in health…"

"…for all of eternity…"

" I give you this ring…"

"…as a symbol of my love…"

"….and commitment…"

"By the power of the state of Nevada, and the righteousness of rock and roll, I now pronounce you husband and wife," smirked Elvis. He turned to Edward. "Give that woman some sugar."

Edward smirked as he pulled me into his arms and crushed his lips to mine. I threw my arms around his neck and plunged my tongue into his mouth. Someone cleared their throat while the others chuckled. Edward and I pulled back and looked at our family as the doors to the chapel got thrown open, causing us all to turn and look over. There standing in the doorway was Jacob Black.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. A big, huge, gigantic thank you to MissRe for pointing me to Vegas and Elvis. I couldn't resist. **


	18. Chapter 18

I couldn't believe that I was standing here in the front of a wedding chapel after having Elvis marry me and Edward, staring at the man who had ruined my entire life in what should have been the happiest moment of my life. Was there just no escaping Jacob Black? Was it useless to hope that I could have one small moment of happiness when everything around me seemed bleak?

"I'm not here to hurt you," said Jacob, putting his hands up. "I just need to talk to you."

"We don't have anything to say to you," said Edward, pulling me behind him. "Elvis, you got a cell phone on you?"

"Yes," said Elvis, nervously. I could feel his eyes traveling between all of us.

"Call the cops," said Edward. "Now."

"Wait, please don't," begged Jacob, frantically. I could see the sheer fear in his eyes. I didn't understand why he was afraid. "I'm not the person who killed Charlie."

"DON'T LIE," screamed Alice, her tiny body was shaking with a mixture of rage and fear. Her eyes were dancing from him to me, her baby sister she was desperate to protect.

"I'm not lying," pleaded Jacob. " I swear on my mother's grave that I did not kill Charlie."

"Call the police," ordered Emmett. His jaw was so tight, I was afraid it would break. I looked into Jacob's eyes and saw the panic dancing around. Was he telling the truth?

"Wait," I said, suddenly. My family all snapped their eyes to me but I was watching Jacob. "Don't call the police yet."

"B," hissed Edward as I stepped around him. He grabbed my arm to stop me but I pulled it out of his hand. "Fucking stop."

"Just wait," I said, looking back at Edward. "Just wait a minute, ok?"

"B…" he whispered. I could see the fear in his eyes but I had to know. I had to know if Jacob was telling the truth.

"I know," I whispered. I looked back at Jacob, who was watching us with hopeful eyes. "If you didn't kill my father, then who did?"

"I don't know," said Jacob. "That's what I've been trying to figure that out for the last six months."

"Why should we believe that it wasn't you?" snapped Rose. "We saw all the pictures you had of her in your room."

"Look, I know," said Jacob, "but I didn't take the pictures."

"Then who did?" I asked, harshly. "There were years worth of pictures of me up on those walls."

"I don't know who took the pictures," said Jacob. "After Charlie was shot, I searched his office trying to find anything that would lead me to the person who shot him. That's when I found the pictures."

"What do you mean that's when you found the pictures?" asked Edward, wrapping his arm around me.

"I found the pictures in a box that was locked in his desk. There were also dozens of notes from this wolf person. Whoever it is was sending these to Charlie with demands for money. They used you, Bella, as a bargaining chip to make him pay," explained Jacob.

"Where are these so called notes?" asked Emmett, stepping to my other side so that he and Jasper were flanking me.

"They are in a safe place," said Jacob.

"Why didn't the police tell us any of this when Charlie was shot?" asked Rose.

"Because I didn't tell anyone about them," said Jacob.

"Of course you didn't," scoffed Edward. "Elvis call the cops."

"No," I said, stepping closer to Jacob. Edward stepped with me, tightening his arms around me. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"Because I think it was a cop that killed him," said Jacob.

"Why?" asked Carlisle, pulling Esme behind him as he stepped closer to the rest of us.

"The fact that whoever shot Charlie was able to get into Newton's without setting off the alarm," said Jacob. "There were only four of us with the code to the alarm system."

"You were one of them, right?" asked Jasper.

"Yes," said Jacob. "Me, Charlie, Sam Uley, and Tyler Crowley."

"So you think Sam or Tyler killed Charlie?" I asked.

"Yes," said Jacob. "I just don't know which one."

"Sam and Tyler were both at the hospital when the flowers were delivered," said Rose, turning to me. "Either one of them could have snatched them off the desk."

"Sam and Tyler were also the first two officers at the crime scene," said Alice as she looked at me. I turned back to Jacob.

"So you're saying that whoever killed Charlie was blackmailing him for years?" I asked.

"Yes," said Jacob.

"What would anyone have to blackmail Charlie with?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Jacob. "The notes were vague. All they said that if he didn't want something to happen to you that he would deposit $1000 each week in an account in the Pacific National Bank in Seattle. I was trying to get the bank records on the account but I can't get them now because everyone thinks I'm a murderer."

"How do we know you're not?" snapped Rose.

"Because Charlie was the only person who gave a shit about me after my mother died," explained Jacob. He took a deep breath. "Look, I know that you have no reason to believe this but Charlie saved my life. When my mother was killed, I didn't know how to deal with it. I was a fucking kid who suddenly had to man up take care of his injured father. My sisters just left me to do it all. I didn't handle all the pressure very well. I turned to drugs and it nearly killed me. One night I got hold of some herein that wasn't very good quality. I went crazy and nearly killed my father and myself. Charlie came in and stopped me from….He saved me, ok? He convinced Billy to put me in a rehab center so I could get clean. When I did, Charlie took to helping me with Billy so that the pressure wouldn't…" he trailed off. "If Charlie hadn't taken a chance on me, I would be dead. I owed him my life."

"You loved him," I said softly.

"He was my only friend," said Jacob, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "I wish I could have saved him that night. I should have been there to help him…"

"It's not your fault, Jacob," I said.

"B, you believe him?" asked Edward. I turned and looked at him.

"Yes, I do," I said. I took a deep breath. "The night that man….in my room. It wasn't Jacob. The man's voice was huskier, more… I don't know but it wasn't Jacob. I…."

"Did it sound like Sam or Tyler?" asked Carlisle.

"I don't think so but I can't be for sure," I said. " I was so scared…."

"How did you know we were here in Vegas?" asked Esme speaking up for the first time.

"I followed you to the beach house from Forks then here," mumbled Jacob. Everyone inhaled sharply.

"Why should we believe that you are innocent when you just admitted to following us?" I asked.

"Because I'm trying to keep you safe from whoever it is that is after you, Bella," said Jacob. "Charlie gave his life trying to protect you. I will do whatever I can to keep you safe for him. I owe him at least that much."

"Why were you so excited about Bella being in town?" asked Jasper.

"I'm a huge fan of your music. All of your music," said Jacob, shrugging his shoulders.

"Your father told us that you used to leave for days to go to San Francisco to see your sisters. Is that true?" asked Edward.

"No," said Jacob, rubbing his forehead. "I, um, was in Seattle. I was kind of seeing someone."

"Why didn't you tell Billy where you were?" I asked.

"Cause Billy wouldn't like the fact that I was seeing a guy," muttered Jacob.

"You were seeing a guy?" asked Rose, chuckling softly.

"Yeah," sighed Jacob. "I'm gay."

"Oh," I said. "Billy's not supportive?"

"No," muttered Jacob. "Charlie was the only person who knew."

"Oh," I said, sadly. "That must have been hard to have to keep who you are from everyone."

"Yeah," whispered Jacob.

"Um, are you all like done now?" asked Elvis. I turned and looked at him. "I don't mean to be rude but I do have a business to run and honestly, I'm kind of bored."

"Gee, sorry, Elvis," I seethed. "We'll leave now so you can go back to marrying the drunks."

"Didn't hear you complained ten minutes ago when you and lover boy were tying the knot," snapped Elvis. With those few misguided words, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all turned and glared the fuck out of him. "I mean…."

"Yeah, we know what you meant," I snapped. "Let's go guys."

"Where are we going?" asked Rose. "The beach house isn't safe anymore."

"I know," I sighed. "We'll just get a room here in Vegas for the night. Then in the morning we can make a plan."

"Ok," whispered Alice, shooting looks at Jacob. "Are you planning on staying?"

"If it's ok," said Jacob, uncomfortably.

"It's fine," I said. "Let's just go get some sleep."

Everyone agreed, reluctantly, and we made our way out of the cheesy Elvis wedding chapel and down to the hotel. Edward had his arm around me, keeping me tucked into his side like he was afraid that if he didn't hold me close to him that I would suddenly be snatched from his grasp. I understood his fears. I had the same fears. Only mine were about him.

Carlisle rented our rooms for us so that we could get some peace and quiet. It would be only a matter of time before the press found out about our presence in Vegas, our wedding, and who knows what else. Right now, all we could do is hold on to the small amount of peace that we have.

Edward and I bid everyone a goodnight before we went into our room. Edward shut the door, making sure to lock the door and attach the security latch. He wasn't as confident about Jacob's innocence as I was but somehow, I knew Jacob was telling the truth. I felt it in my gut.

Edward turned and looked at me for a moment before he grabbed me and slammed me against the wall as he crushed his lips to mine. He had never been this forceful, this primal, with me before. Normally, I might be scared but right now, I was incredibly turned on.

Edward practically ripped my clothes off of my body before stripping off his own. He grabbed my ass and lifted me further up the wall, pulling my legs around his waist. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he slammed his cock into me.

"FUCK," I cried out from the intensity of his eyes. He had never looked so fearful yet passionate at the same time.

"You can't leave me, B," he grunted as he started thrusting in and out of me harder and harder.

"Never," I gasped.

I threw my arms around his shoulders and pulled him into the crook of my neck. I could feel his body shaking. He was laying it all out for me with each thrust of his hips, each nip at my skin with his teeth, each murmur of my name. He had never been so vulnerable yet so strong at the same time.

He moved us over to the bed and sat down on the edge so that I was straddling him. I started moving my hips with his as we stared into each other's eyes. The only sounds that filled the room now were the sounds of our skin slapping against each others. The sounds of our ragged and shallow breaths as we inched closer to our climaxes.

Edward tightened his hold on me as his thrusts became more intense, more frantic. I crushed my lips to his as I felt my walls clench down around his cock, milking him as he spilled his seed deep inside of me.

Our lips never broke until I felt his body shake as he was overwhelmed with the emotions that he had been holding in for the past few days. He buried his head into my neck and let it all out. He cried over his loss of my father. Charlie was just as much his father as Carlisle was mine. He cried over his fears of losing me, losing us. I let my tears fall as I held my lover, my husband, in my arms all night.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. Keep them coming!**


	19. Chapter 19

**EPOV**

I looked at the beauty that was laying next to me. For as long as I could remember, Bella Swan owned my heart and soul. Growing up together, she was always the one who pulled me out of my shell and talked me into whatever crazy plan Emmett and Rose were cooking up. How we managed to survive our childhood with those two was beyond me but we did, unscathed and happy together.

Bella had always been my best friend. She was so strong, so confident all the time. She never let it bother her that the boys and girls in our class thought it was weird that she preferred to wear boy's jeans and t-shirt instead of dresses or skirts. Or that she preferred to wear running shoes instead of sandals. Or even that she would wear a baseball hat everywhere instead of bows and ribbons in her hair.

Even after she went from dressing like one of us boys and into her rocker girl look, as she loved to call it, she still didn't care when the kids mocked her. She knew who she was and she wasn't going to let anyone tell her that it was wrong. I think that was one of the things I loved about her the most. She refused to let me change her, not that I would. I loved her just the way she was.

I think I've always been in love with Bella. I just didn't know it until the summer before our senior year. Ironically enough, we were at the beach house. Emmett and Rose had snuck off down the beach to have sex , cause that's what they did. Jasper and Alice were in the water, probably having sex. Bella and Charlie were sitting on the shore line, letting the water wash up over their legs. They were laughing and teasing each other. I was sitting on the deck watching her as I worked on a new song.

Her face was full of life, full of happiness. She had a huge smile on her face that she only smiled with Charlie. I would miss that smile. As I sat on the deck watching her with her father, I noticed just how beautiful she was. I've always thought Bella was pretty. Far prettier than Rose or Alice but I never noticed just how her eyes would light up when she was she excited about a new song or a gig. How her cheeks turned a delicious pink every time she stepped on the stage. How the curves of her hips swayed softly from side to side when she walked. It was in that moment that I knew I was in love with Bella.

I just never thought she would love me too. I spent the next several months struggling with how I felt about Bella. I watched as the boys in our class ogled her ass when she was walking down the hall. I had to listen when they talked about her tits in the boys locker room. It took a lot of control not to beat the shit out of each one of them. Especially Mike Newton. He followed us around like a little lost puppy waiting for Bella to suddenly decide she wanted him. But Bella never seemed to notice that Mike watched her every movement with lust in his eyes or Tyler Crowley, or Eric Yorke, or Austin Marks, or at least a dozen other boys in our class. She didn't seem to notice me either. Or at least I didn't think she did until the night of our senior prom.

It took a lot of convincing to even get Bella to agree to go to the prom with me. She just wasn't a big 'lets do all the normal high school crap' kind of girl but Alice and Rose helped me, Emmett, and Jasper talk Bella into going to our senior prom. I mean you only have a senior prom once, right? When I saw her walk down those stairs on Charlie's arm two things happened. First, my heart stopped beating at just how amazingly beautiful she looked. Second, my dick got hard. I mean, really hard. I'm not sure how I managed to get through all those pictures Charlie and Esme forced us to take that night but I did.

I tried to be the gentleman that Esme raised me to be when I opened the door for Bella and helped her into the car. I tried not to completely ogle her while she drove to the school but I did. When I helped her out of the car, it took so much control not to press her against the side of the car and have my wicked way with her.

We went inside and I pulled her out into the dance floor. I don't think she even noticed everyone watching her. The boys with lustful eyes and the girls green with envy for being the object of everyone's attention. I wrapped my arms around Bella and pulled her close but not close enough. Never close enough.

Suddenly, Bella pulled back just slightly and looked up at me. I saw so much flash across her face. Then she leaned up and pressed her lips to mine. I was so shocked that Bella was kissing me that for a split second I couldn't do anything. Then I tightened my arms around her kissed her with every amount of longing that I had built up over the last several months.

I took Bella down to First Beach, took a deep breath, manned up and told her I was in love with her. I couldn't believe it when she said she loved me too. Bella and I made love on that beach all night. Just like that Bella Swan was mine.

I climbed off the bed, wrapping the blanket around my body as I went over and stood in front of the window. I couldn't lose her now. I would have to do everything I could to keep my girl safe from whoever this crazy psycho was that was after her. How would I ever be able to live without her?

"What's on your mind, handsome?" whispered Bella, wrapping her arms around me from behind.

"I was thinking about how much I love you," I whispered as I turned and wrapped the blanket around the both of us. God, I loved the feeling of her naked skin against mine. Bella laid her head on my chest and I laid mine on top of her head. "I can't believe we are married."

"Me either," she whispered. "I can't believe we had Elvis marry us."

"I can't believe you actually talked Rosie, Ali, and Esme into letting us get married in Vegas much less by Elvis. A bad Elvis at that," I laughed quietly.

"I know," chuckled Bella. "I thought all three of their heads were going to explode."

"Me too," I whispered.

"You know I'm not going to let anyone take me from you, don't you?" Bella asked.

"I know that you are going to try," I whispered, "but we have no idea who is after you or why. I can't…I don't…"

"I know, my love," whispered Bella, looking up at me. "I'm scared too but we have to hold on to each other."

"I'm trying," I whispered. "B, I love you so much."

"I love you, too, E," mumbled Bella, leaning up and pressing her lips to mine. "So much."

"Can't live without you," I murmured into her mouth as we kisses.

I back us up until the back of her knees hit the bed and she fell backwards. I fell onto of her without pulling my lips away from hers. Bella wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me closer to her. My rapidly growing erection was rubbing the outside of her warm pussy.

"Take me, E," she whispered against my lips. "Claim my body as yours just as my heart and soul are."

"You are mine," I whispered as I slammed my cock into her hard.

"YOURS!" she screamed into my mouth. "Just yours."

"Only mine," I growled thrusting into her over and over, harder and faster.

Bella moaned against my lips as I continued to thrust into her hard. I needed to claim her body. I needed it like I was a dying man desperate for the last drop of water. Bella dug her nails into my back and I growled as I slammed into her harder. I love when she does that.

"So…close, E…please…" panted Bella.

"Cum for me, Baby," I pleaded. "Please be cum just for me."

"FUCK!" she screamed as her body shook with her orgasm. I slammed into a few more.

"MINE!" I growled, finding my own release deep in her womb. I rode out my orgasm as I laid my head in the crook of her neck. "You are mine, Isabella Cullen. Just mine."

"Just yours, Baby," whispered Bella. "I have always been just yours."

I kissed Bella again before I pulled out of her. We went into the bathroom and took a slow shower together. Our touches were soft and gentle. We caressed each other's bodies. We weren't in a hurry to get back to the real world but we both knew the real world would be coming at us quickly.

Eventually, we climbed out of the shower and dried off. We pulled on our jeans and t-shirts and made our way out of our room to Carlisle and Esme's room. It was time to plan our next move. I just hoped it wouldn't end up costing us everything.

Carlisle opened the door to their room after we knocked. We went inside and found everyone, including Jacob Black, sitting around. I wasn't as confident as Bella was that he was innocent but I was going to trust that Bella saw something there that I didn't. Plus, if he was with us, I could keep my eye on him.

"So what's the plan?" asked Emmett, breaking the tense silence.

"Well, we can't go back to the beach house," said Rose. "It's too dangerous."

"We can't go back to LA because whoever," said Jasper, glaring at Jacob, "is after B knows all of our stomping grounds."

"Where does that leave us?" asked Alice. "Forks is a no go. We can't exactly leave the country without gaining attention. The last thing we need right now is a ton of publicity."

We sat in silence for several minutes trying to decide where to go. The problem was that really no matter where we went we were going to have to worry about the press finding us or the stalker, or whatever you what to call him, finding us. It's times like this that fame is a curse.

"Texas," said Bella, looking up at everyone. "We go to Texas."

"Why Texas?" asked Jacob.

"Garrett," I said, wrapping my arm around Bella's waist.

"Do you think he and Kate will mind us coming?" asked Emmett. "They didn't exactly leave on happy terms."

"That has nothing to do with us," said Bella. I rolled my eyes. So naïve sometimes. "Besides, we don't have any place else to go."

"Good luck convincing him of that," said Alice.

"Look, I know it's not ideal but we really don't have a choice," said Bella. "Plus Garrett may be the only ones who can help us find out why this…person was blackmailing Charlie."

"Bella, they let him go for a reason," sighed Jasper.

"Well, they were wrong," snapped Bella. "You know I'm right on this, J. If you have a better suggestion, then please share it."

"I didn't mean it like that, B," grumbled Jasper.

"I know, J," whispered Bella. "I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just right now, we don't have any other options."

"I know," sighed Jasper.

"Texas it is then," sighed Carlisle, standing up and looking around at us all. "We had better get going. We have a long drive ahead of us."

Twenty minutes later, we were loaded up in the car and heading out of Vegas towards Texas. I hope Garrett wouldn't mind us butting into his life. Not after the mess we made last time.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you enjoyed a small peek into Edward's mind. **


	20. Chapter 20

**BPOV**

As Carlisle drove past the city limit sign of Clarendon, Texas, the small town Garrett and Kate Mitchell had moved to, I started to get a little nervous that they wouldn't let us stay with them. Our parting with them wasn't exactly what you would call smooth. Not that I blamed Garrett at all for what happened.

Garrett used to work with us at Eclipse. He was head of our security team for our first three tours. There wasn't anyone I trust more than Garrett, with the exception of my family. The whole mess started about half way through our fourth tour. We were in Detroit doing a show when a fan managed to sneak backstage. The fan, a young girl around the age of eighteen, was obsessed with one of the members of our backup band. She went a little nuts and nearly killed him when she pushed him down some stairs after he rejected her sexual advances. The label got pissed when they had to cancel the rest of the tour, costing them thousands, and blamed Garrett and his team for failing to keep her out, even though none of us did. Garrett's team had been cut in half for that tour due to budget cuts. There was a big fight, words were said, fist went flying, and I ended up with a black eye when I tried to stop Garrett from beating the living shit out of the former president of Eclipse Records, Alec Bowden.

Garrett was fired for 'assaulting' me, even though we all swore that Alec was the one who threw not only the first punch but the punch that struck me. However, no one on the board cared that Alec was the one at fault and hung Garrett out to dry. If we hadn't had an iron clad contract with Eclipse, we all would have left when Garrett did. However, it didn't matter because Alec was fired two months later after he was caught fucking an underage girl in his office under the ruse of getting her a record deal but we couldn't get the board to hire Garrett back. Not that he would have if they did. He had made his feeling very clear in the string of four letter words he used.

Carlisle turned onto the dirt road that led to Garrett's house. A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of the large white, farm house with a huge wrap around porch. I chuckled inwardly. It screamed Kate and Garrett. We climbed out of he car as the front door opened. Garrett, a tall muscular man with sandy hair and grey/blue eyes, and his wife, Kate, a leggy blond with hazel eyes, stepped out onto the porch.

"Hey, Gar and K," I said softly. "You both look great."

"What the fuck are you all doing here?" asked Garrett, ignoring my attempts to be civil.

"We need your help, Gar," I said. He chuckled as his jaw clenched shut. "Please just listen to us, Gar."

"Why should I?" he asked, harshly. "What did you do for me when I needed help?"

"We went to the board and asked them not to fire your fucking ass," I snapped. "You didn't exactly help yourself when you called them a bunch of fruity queens taking it up the ass. Even if it was true."

"Yeah, you really tried," scoffed Garrett.

"I knew this was a waste of time," muttered Jasper.

"Shut the fuck up, J," I snapped. I pulled out of Edward's arm and went up to Garrett. "Now, you listen to me, Garrett. It sucks how everything went down. If you don't think that we hated how you get treated, then you are one stupid mother fucker." I hesitated for a moment. "Look, I really need you right now."

"Are you hurt?" he asked, urgently as his eyes softened and he looked me over.

"No," I said. "At least not physically. Please, Gar? Just listen to us."

"Fine, come in and tell me what's going on," said Garrett, stepping aside to hold the door open for us.

"Thank you, Gar," I whispered. He just nodded as I walked past him. Kate rolled her eyes and led us into the living room. I could tell she wasn't happy to have us here.

"Have a seat," she muttered, gesturing to the couches.

"Thank you, K," I whispered. Garrett followed Emmett in as we took our seats.

"So what's going on?" asked Garrett.

I took a deep breath as Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and told Garrett everything about Charlie's death, the notes, flowers, the pictures, the attack in my room, and everything else we knew. He and Kate sat there and listened to everything without interrupting me. Although, Garrett's eyes did flicker to Jacob when I told him about his involvement in the situation. I knew nobody else trusted Jacob but I did. I'm just not sure why I did. By the time I was done, Garrett and Kate were both leaning against the back of the couch with frowns on their faces.

"Wow," mumbled Kate, standing up. "I think we all need a drink."

"Yeah," I muttered as Kate left the room. She came back a few minutes later with a tray full of beer.

"So why did you come to me with this?" asked Garrett after a few minutes.

"Because we had no where else to go," I said softly.

"That's nice," he mumbled.

"What do you want me to tell you, Gar?" I asked. "We tried to help you but there wasn't anything we could do."

"I know," he said, not meeting my eyes. "But I don't know what you think I can do. Why haven't you taken this to your security team?"

"We don't have one," I muttered. He snapped his eyes up at me. Here we go.

"WHAT?" he roared as he jumped up to his feet. "ARE YOU JUST FUCKING STUPID?"

"Hey, don't fucking talk to her like that," growled Edward, jumping to his feet. "She's been through enough without you adding any of your shit."

"How could you let them go two years without protection, E?" snapped Garrett. "You promised to keep them safe when I left."

"We've been trying but in case you can't tell, the company has been sending us to opposite sides of the world," yelled Emmett, joining in the argument.

"I don't give a shit of you were in the fucking Amazon, Em," growled Garrett. "They were your responsibilities."

"Where were you when they needed you?" snapped Jasper, jumping to his feet. "Oh, yeah, not doing your job!"

"At least when I was on the clock, they were never being chased across the country by a fucking psycho, J," seethed Garrett. I exchanged a look with Rose and Alice. Yep, should have never come here.

"EVERYONE CALM THE FUCK DOWN," I screamed. They all stopped arguing and looked over at me. "I've had enough of this shit. You all can just fuck off. I'll deal with this shit on my own."

I turned and ran out of the house. I headed down to their stables. I climbed up on the fence and watched the horses. Garrett was right. We were stupid for not having a security team with us but none of trusted anyone they tried to put with us. If you don't trust those around you, then what good are they?

"You ok, B?" asked Alice as she and Rose climbed up on the fence next to me.

"No," I said as my eyes filled up with traitorous tears. "I'm really scared. Whoever this person is that is after me was willing to kill Charlie to get to me. I don't understand how they could hurt him. I mean, he was the best person in the entire world."

"I know," whispered Rose, letting her tears fall as she wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "I miss him so much."

"Me too," said Alice, laying her head on my shoulder. "I feel so angry that I didn't even get to say goodbye."

"I do too," I whispered. "I feel guilty that he was killed because of me."

"It wasn't because of you, B," whispered Rose. "It was because who ever this person is decided to take out their crazy obsession with you out on Charlie. We will not let anyone hurt you."

"What if he hurts one of you?" I cried softly. "I can't handle losing anyone else."

"He won't," whispered Alice, slipping her hand in with mine. "Do you remember when you were about ten or so and we made vowed that we would never let anyone or anything come between us?"

"Yes, but-"

"There are no but, B," said Rose. "No matter what, the three of us will be together forever. Our bond is stronger than anyone."

"You promise?" I asked.

"We promise," said Alice.

Alice, Rose, and I sat on the fence for a little while longer talking about Charlie. None of us had really had time to grieve for our father. None of us really got to tell him goodbye. I just hope that I wasn't going to lose my sister the way I lost my father. I really don't think I could handle that.

Eventually, Rose, Alice, and I climbed off the fence and headed back to the main house. We walked into the living room and found everyone sitting around in an awkward silence. They all looked up at the three of us.

"Let's go, guys," I said. "Apparently, we made a mistake coming here."

"B, I'm sorry," said Garrett, standing up and coming over to us. "I was out of line."

"It doesn't matter," I whispered. "I'll figure out how to stop this person myself."

"No, you won't," sighed Garrett. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe, B. I just wasn't expecting to see you on my doorstep."

"We didn't have anywhere else to go, Gar," I whispered through my tears.

"I know," he whispered, pulling me in for a hug. "You're safe here."

"I really hope so," I cried softly. I pulled away from Garrett and went over and sat down on Edward's lap. He wrapped his arms around me.

"Are you ok?" asked Edward.

"I'm ok," I whispered, nestling myself in his arms. "Just tired."

"I know," he whispered. "Me too."

"So what's the plan?" asked Emmett as Rose sat down next to him. Alice went over and climbed into Jasper's lap.

"Well, I think the first thing we need to do is get those bank records," said Garrett, sitting down next to Kate. "We need to see if we can figure out who was blackmailing Charlie."

"How are you going to get them?" asked Jacob. "I tried for nearly four months."

"I have my ways," smirked Garrett. "I would like to see those letters you found though."

"Ok," said Jacob. "They are in my car."

"That was your safe place?" asked Jasper. "Really?"

"Yes, I built my car myself and built a hidden panel in the trunk that nobody knows about but me," explained Jacob.

"Why would you do that?" asked Emmett, narrowing his eyes at Jacob. I rolled my eyes as Jacob blushed.

"To keep his Dad in the dark about his friend, Em," I sighed. "Right, Jacob?"

"Yeah," mumbled Jacob.

"What friend?" asked Garrett.

"I'm gay and was seeing this guy in Seattle until about four months ago," said Jacob.

"Oh," said Garrett. "Is this person someone we should be worried about?"

"No," said Jacob. "Shane had never met Charlie."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Whoever this person is started taking pictures of me five years ago. We used to do gigs in Seattle all the time."

"I'm sure," snapped Jacob, standing up. "Shane couldn't be the person who is after you."

"Why not?" snapped Alice. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because he's dead," yelled Jacob. "He was killed in a car accident four months ago. He was on his way to see me. We were finally going to come out to Billy but he was killed when his car hit some ice. Shane would never have hurt me. He loved me."

"Ok, Jacob," I said. "We're sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," he muttered. "I've been keeping that in for awhile."

"It's ok," I said softly. "We understand."

"So you are going to get the bank records and then what?" asked Edward.

"I going to bring in the team," said Garrett. All of us but Jacob, Carlisle, and Esme, snapped our eyes over at him.

"All of them?" I asked.

"Yep," he said. "This place will be like Fort Knox."

"Things are fixing to get very interesting," snickered Emmett. Very interesting indeed.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	21. Chapter 21

**BPOV**

Here's the thing about Garrett's team. When the whole 'lets hang Garrett out to dry' shit went down, every member of his team left with him. They chose to quit instead of putting up with the bullshit at Eclipse. They weren't very happy that the boys and us girls didn't risk our careers and leave Eclipse with them. So needless to say they probably won't be very happy about helping us.

Garrett's team consisted of six other men and their wives/girlfriends. The first, and second in charge, was Peter Cantrell. Peter was a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes. From the outside, Peter seemed pretty harmless but if you ever pissed him off, you had better hope you can out run him because if he catches you, you will wish you were dead. Peter was married to Charlotte, a hot tempered red head with a nice right hook of her own. Peter and Charlotte both grew up in the foster care system in New York City, something they don't talk about it.

Next was Seth Clearwater. Seth was a Native American from northern Oklahoma. He was raised on the reservation by his grandfather, Harry, who was the tribes chief. Seth was brought up in the old ways of his tribe. He was taught to track anything from a small rabbit to a large man, to live off the land, and how to survive in any environment, including show business. None of us are sure how Garrett met Seth. Last I had heard, Seth was single.

Benjamin Amun was the next member of Garrett's team. Benjamin's parents were Egyptian immigrants who brought him over when he was just a baby. He was an expert in every type of martial arts and self-defense techniques known to man. He was a quiet man until he got pissed off then you had better know how to beg for mercy, not that it would help. Benjamin was seeing a young woman named Tia Omar last I heard. She was a beautiful girl with long black hair and deep black eyes.

Felix Cruz was probably one of the most outspoken members of Garrett's team. He was a tall, brown haired man who had no problem voicing his displeasure over anything we ever did. He and Garrett would argue like a couple of girls while the rest of us just watched, amused while they yelled and screamed at each other until they were hoarse and shook hands. Felix was certainly one of the bravest members of Garrett's team. His wife, Tanya, was equally as vocal but also just as protective of all of us. Tanya was a curvy, strawberry blond.

The fifth member of Garrett's team was Demetri Romans, a muscled out, ex-body builder with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He made Emmett look like a ten year old boy. He was also one of the most caring men I had ever met. He struggled the most with the decision to follow Garrett when he was forced out. He didn't like the idea of leaving us unprotected anymore than Garrett did. Demetri was married to Heidi, a tall blond goddess with a body to die for.

And finally, there was Laurent Daniels. Laurent was an a tall dark haired man with bright blue eyes. Laurent was an computer expert who could hack into any system without them knowing and get you whatever you needed. Hopefully, he would help us with some bank records. Laurent was married to Irina, a snow blond with dark blue eyes. Irina was a quiet woman until you crossed her then she would make your life miserable.

It's been four days since we showed up on Garrett's doorstep and his team was due to start arriving soon. I was really nervous about how they would react to us needing help. Before the falling out, we were all really close. I had really missed them a lot over the last couple years. Maybe we should have said to hell with Eclipse and quit the business. Charlie might still be alive if we had anyway.

"Hey, B," said Garrett, coming over and standing next to me. I was down at the stables again petting the horses. "You seem to really like this spot."

"I do," I said. "It's the only place I can think without the others hovering over me like I am fixing to fall apart at the seams."

"You know they are just worried about you."

"I know," I said.

"Let's saddle up a couple horses and go for a ride," suggested Garrett. I looked over at him and smiled.

"Ok."

I followed Garrett into the stables and helped him saddle up a beautiful chestnut brown horse for me to ride and a black horse for him. He helped me up and then climbed up on his horse. I followed him out of the stables and out into the pasture. Garrett turned and winked at me before he took off. I laughed and took of after him.

I felt so free as the wind blew through my hair. There were no cameras in my face, no reporters yelling out questions at me from every direction. No rushing from one city to another to perform one concert after another. There was no crazy stalker after me, nobody could hurt me.

I'm not sure how long we had been riding when Garrett stopped and climbed off his horse. He took my reigns for me and I climbed off my horse. He tied them onto a tree and we went over and sat down on a couple of large boulders. God, it was really beautiful here.

"So how are you really doing?" asked Garrett.

"Pretty shitty," I said.

"I bet," shrugged Garrett.

"I'm really scared," I whispered.

"I know," he said, "but I am not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise."

"You can't promise me that," I said, through my tears. "He got to me while I was in a house full of my family, Gar. He used me to get my father to pay him for years. Then he killed him to get me to Forks. I don't understand why anyone would kill Charlie. He was everything a person should be."

"I don't get it either," said Garrett, pulling me into his arms while I cried. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, B. I should have been there."

"It's not your fault, Gar," I cried. "That stupid fucker Alec is to blame for you not being there."

"B, I need you to tell me everything you can about that man who grabbed you," said Garrett. I pulled back and wiped my tears off my face.

"I never saw him but I could tell he was big. Like really tall. I think he had to be at least a good foot taller than me. He had big hands….long fingers," I said letting my tears fall. "His voice was deep and really husky. His breath smelt kind of sweet."

"Ok," whispered Garrett. "Any tattoos or markings that you can remember?"

I closed my eyes and replayed that moment in my head over and over, looking for anything that would help us figure out who this son of a bitch was but I couldn't find one. There was nothing to lead us to him and I couldn't help but feel guilty for not trying harder.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "All I really saw was his hand as he slapped it over my mouth to stop me from screaming. Then groped me and bit down on my neck-"

"Do you have pictures of the bite marks?" asked Garrett. I looked over at him.

"Esme does," I said. "Why?"

"Because we can see if he had had any type of dental work done based on the imprints," said Garrett.

"How does that help?" I asked.

"Because if he had had anything big done, we can track him through his dental records," explained Garrett.

"Oh," I said.

"B, you can't hold all of this in anymore," said Garrett. "You have to let it out."

"I don't know how," I mumbled. "I feel so violated, Gar. He had pictures of my intimate times with E. He groped me. I tried to fight him. I swear I did but it was like my fear was just turning him on more."

"It probably was," sighed Garrett. "You should talk to K."

"She doesn't want to talk to me," I said. "In case you haven't noticed, K has been avoiding all of us over the last few days. She's not exactly thrilled we intruded in your lives."

"Point taken," said Garrett. "But she would try to help you, B. She's worried about you, too."

"I'll think about it, ok?" I asked, looking out over the plain.

"Ok," he chuckled.

"So how did you end up here?" I asked. "This has got to be one of the smallest towns I have ever seen."

"Compared to most of the places you play, it is," laughed Garrett. "K and I knew after we left LA that we wanted to get as far away from all that shit as we could. So we pulled up a listing for ranches and found this one after looking at more than a dozen. It felt like home to us."

"Are you happy here?" I asked.

"Yes, we are," smiled Garrett, looking at me. "I wasn't made for security work like that, B. I loved being on the road with you, Rosie, and Ali but I hated being away from K for months at a time. I hated living out of a suitcase, eating in shitty diners night after night. It wasn't for me. I wish things had gone down differently but, except for missing you and the girls, I don't really regret anything over the last couple years."

"I'm glad, Gar," I smiled back. "I wish I felt that happy."

"What do you mean?" he asked. I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"The past few months, or year, I've started to really hate it," I said. "Until the day that Charlie died, I hadn't seen E in three months. We only got to spend a month together before that because the girls and I had an international tour. You know, I love my sisters, but I missed E so much. When Charlie was shot, the label wouldn't let them come to Forks. Rosie, Ali, and I only got to spend a week here before we had to go to Toronto to start filming out new video with James Stevens because he was an ass who wouldn't let us out of our contract. The label refused to help us. Ang, bless her heart, did everything she could but they threatened to fire her if she didn't back off. Charlie needed us and we weren't there for him. After everything he did for us, we weren't there when he needed us. What kind of daughters are we?"

"B, Charlie would not have wanted you to give up everything like that for him," sighed Garrett.

"I am so sick and tired of hearing how Charlie wouldn't have wanted that," I yelled as I stood up and started pacing. "It shouldn't have mattered, Gar. He was our father. He scarified so much for us and we have done nothing for him. He had to sit there and listen to the other parents tell him that I was a freak for dying my hair pink when I was sixteen. He just shrugged his shoulders and told them that I was expressing myself. Then he came home and dyed his own hair blue just piss them off. He did that for me, Gar. What did I ever do for him?"

"You gave him the courage to be different," whispered Garrett, pulling me into his arms as I started to cry. "You taught him that it was ok not to be like everyone else. All he wanted is for you to be happy. You need to decide what is going to make you happy."

"I don't know what makes me happy anymore, except for E," I whispered.

"Then it sounds like you have some thinking to do," murmured Garrett. "We had better get back before they send out a search party."

"Ok," I mumbled. "Thanks, Gar, for just listening to me ramble on."

"Anytime, B."

Garrett kissed the top of my head before he unwrapped his arms from around me. I wiped the tears off my face and followed him over to our horses. He helped me back up on mine and we headed back to the house. I knew Garrett was right. I had to figure out what I really wanted from my life and what was going to make me happy.

We took the horses back into the stables. We took their saddles off and brushed them before we headed up to the house. We walked into the living room and I froze. There sitting on the couches were Garrett's team. They did not look happy.

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**Thank you for all the reviews, alerts, and adds. I realized as I started writing this chapter that I had the name of the record label wrong. It was Eclipse to start with so I went back to the previous chapter and fixed it. I'm sorry about that so please don't throw any rotten veggies at me. **


	22. Chapter 22

I stood there in the door way looking at the angry faces of Garrett's team. I wasn't sure what to say to them so I just stood there. The silence was deafening. You could cut the tension with a knife. I felt uncomfortable with all the focus on me. Plus, I was a little pissed that Rose, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward weren't in here to help me with them. Nice of them to put me in the hot seat.

"Sit your ass down, B," ordered Peter. His tone was laced with venom. I opened my mouth to speak but he held up his hand. "I didn't tell you to speak. I told you to sit your skinny ass down."

"My ass isn't skinny," I muttered under my breath as I went over and sat down in the wing back chair. Everyone but Peter turned and glared at me. Peter, however, was looking at Garrett.

"Have you been briefed?" asked Garrett.

"Yes, the others informed us of the situation when we got here," said Peter. "Do you have a plan?"

"Not yet," said Garrett. "I wasn't sure how many of you would be here to help. I had to wait to see who showed up before I could do anything."

"Suppose I get that," said Peter. He turned and looked at me. His face hardened as he glared at me. I really wanted to roll my eyes but I didn't because I knew that would only make the situation worse. "What the fuck were you thinking going two years without a security team?"

"I-"

"Do you just not care if someone hurts you, B?" snapped Seth. "I know you are a stubborn little bitch sometimes but come on!"

"Of course-"

"I mean, we taught you better than that," growled Felix. "You know how dangerous it is to go without protection."

"I know but-"

"There are no buts, B," snapped Demetri. "You swore to us when we left that you would keep yourself and your sisters safe. You know how stupid some of those fans are. Did you learn nothing from what happened with Derek?"

"Yes, I did, but-"

"If I hear the word but come out of your mouth again, I am going to hold you down while Tia, Irina, Heidi, and Charlotte beat the shit out of you, B," snapped Tanya. I sighed and leaned back in the chair. I knew better than to argue with them. Besides, I knew Tanya would do it.

"B, you know better than that," said Benjamin. "Why did you put yourself in that position?"

"Because the only team I trusted wasn't there," I mumbled. "I didn't trust any of those jack holes they tried to saddle us with. The first team they saddled us with after you left, tried to fucking attach a leash to us when we unloaded off the buses. The press would have a hay day with that. The second team was better until I found them all behind the buses one night after a show in Atlanta smoking weed. I guess I should have trust them to keep us safe but considering they had no idea that our show had just ended or that we had hundreds of fans waiting for us to the signing while they got high didn't really make us feel very confident about them keeping us safe."

"Stupid mother fuckers," muttered Peter, looking down at his feet and shaking his head. He looked up at me. "Why didn't you call us? You know we would have been there."

"You all made your feelings about us pretty clear when you called us traitors and mindless power hungry whores who would do anything to further our careers, even if that means hanging you all out to dry," I pointed out.

"You know I didn't mean that," scoffed Felix.

"I will kick for ass for saying that later, Felix," growled Garrett, glaring at him. He turned back to the others. "Look, that's all in the past. B, Rosie, and Ali need us now. You all know that Charlie would want us all to help his girls."

"You're right," sighed Peter.

"Now, L," said Garrett, turning to Laurent, who hadn't said a thing through out the whole ordeal. "I need you to hack into the records at the Pacific National Bank in Seattle. Jacob has the information on the bank account in question. We need to know how long Charlie was paying this person off and who owns the account."

"On it," said Laurent. He got up and came over and pulled me to my feet and hugged me. "It's going to be ok, B. We'll figure this out but if you ever pull this shit again, I will personally kick your very skinny ass."

"I know, L," I whispered. "Thanks for coming."

"Please," he scoffed, pulling back from me. "I haven't had anything this challenging in a long time. Honestly, I was kind of bored anyway. Corporate life was not for me."

"Gee, glad I could help," I chuckled, pushing him away. He just laughed as he went into the dining room to set him computer up.

"Seth, Felix, D, Benji I need you to go through everything B and other brought with them. There has to be something there that we've missed. Pay special attention to the blackmail letters and photos. I want to know how close this fucker got to them in order to take some of those photos. Understood?" asked Garrett.

"Yes, sir," they all said standing up. Seth came over and hugged me first.

"I'm really sorry about Charlie, B," whispered Seth. "He was a really great dad."

"Thanks, Seth," I whispered. He kissed my forehead before he turned and went into the dining room. Demetri lifted me into his arms and hugged me tight. "Need …to …breath ...D."

"Sorry," he chuckled. He set me back down on my feet. "Try not to worry too much, B. We're here now. We aren't going to let you down this time."

"You didn't let me down before, D," I whispered. "Maybe we should have left."

"Maybe or maybe not," said Demetri. "Can't live in the past anymore."

"I know," I muttered. He kissed my cheek before he went to join Seth. Felix stood there glaring at me. "I know, ok? I messed up."

"Yeah, you did," said Felix, "but maybe I was wrong for what I said to you. You know me, I don't think before I speak most of the time."

"True," I smiled. "I've missed you, Felix, and your smartass mouth."

"I might have missed you, too," he smirked. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "You look really good. Married life looks good on you."

"Thanks," I blushed. "About time, huh?"

"Yep. E should have popped the question years ago," chuckled Felix.

"Oh, Felix," I laughed, shaking my head. "I proposed to him."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" he laughed as he went into the dining room to join the others.

"We start training in the morning," said Benjamin. "I don't want to hear any shit about it being too hard. Got it?"

"Got it," I said. He hugged me before he turned and joined the others in the dining room. I turned and looked Tanya, Irina, Heidi, Charlotte, and Tia.

"Well, we should go help K with dinner," said Tanya. They all stood up. "You look good, B."

"Thanks," I said, biting my bottom lip. "You all do too.

"Oh, we know," smirked Heidi. "We'll catch up later, ok?"

"Ok," I said. "Thank you for coming."

"We couldn't let the boys have all the fun, could we?" smirked Irina.

"I suppose not," I smiled. They all hugged me before they went into the kitchen. I turned back to Peter, who was sitting on the couch across from me. I sat back down in the chair and folded my hands in my lap. "Ok, Peter, let me have it."

"B, you know that all you had to do is pick up the phone," said Peter, looking up at me. I could see the worry in his eyes.

"I know," I said, "but we knew you were pissed that we didn't leave Eclipse when you did. We didn't want to bother you."

"But we would have dropped anything for you, Rosie, and Ali," sighed Peter, leaning back on the couch.

"I know that, Peter," I frowned. "I'm sorry. I wish I could go back and change so much over the past two years. I know I screwed everything up. I have to live with that, ok?"

"B, none of what has happened since we left Eclipse is your fault," said Garrett, kneeling down next to me as my eyes filled up with tears. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "We should have demanded help in Detroit. We should fought harder to make sure you, Rosie, and Ali had the best for that tour. Alec screwed us all over with that."

"Charlie called me the night he was shot," I cried softly. "I forgot to charge my cell phone again. How many times did he yell at me to make sure my cell phone was charged?"

"A lot," whispered Peter, as he came over and knelt in front of me. "But it's not your fault, B. Charlie panicked. If he had just taken the time to check out your tour schedule he would have know you were in the middle of a show. He should have called Ang to make sure you were ok. He panicked because the only thought running in his head was that he had to protect his little girl. The only person to blame for any of this is the person who shot him. I promise you, we will find out who that was and we will make sure he suffers for hurting you, Rosie, Ali, and Charlie. Ok?"

"Ok, Peter," I cried.

"Now, I need you to calm down, honey, and tell me everything you can think of about the man who grabbed you," said Peter. I took a deep breathe and tried to stop my tears.

"I didn't see anything but his hands," I whispered. "He came from behind me. I think he came through the window but I know it was closed when took the last of my stuff down to the car. I don't know."

"Ok, what exactly did he say?" asked Garrett.

"He said I was lovely after he smelled me. He said I bet I tasted just as lovely. He called me his beautiful swan. He licked my neck. I tried to scream but his hand covered my mouth. I tried to kick him but it was like it just egged him on. He bit down on my shoulder."

"Esme has pictures," whispered Garrett as Peter started to speak.

"Ok, then what?" asked Peter.

"E yelled up the stairs for me to come on. The man said 'Until we meet again, my beautiful Swan. Soon you will be mine.' Then he slammed my head on the wall and jumped out of the window. That's when I passed out," I whispered.

"Did he sound old? Young?" asked Peter.

"He wasn't very young but I don't think he was very old either. Maybe a couple years older than Rosie. I really don't know," I frowned.

"You didn't notice the window open when you went into your room?" asked Peter.

"No, but I was just focusing on getting the fuck out of there," I said.

"Are you sure he jumped out the window?" asked Peter.

"I think so," I said. "Why?"

"I don't know," mused Peter, sitting back on his feet. "It's just that it's pretty chilly in Forks this time of year. I would have thought that you would have noticed the cold air as soon as you walked in."

"We really need to take a look at Charlie's house but it's too dangerous for any of us to go," said Garrett. "The stalker could be watching, waiting for B to come back. If this person has been watching her for five plus years, he would know anyone of us."

"True," said Peter. "But we could send someone they wouldn't know."

"Too dangerous," muttered Garrett. "How do we know we can trust him?"

"Because I say we can," said Peter.

"Who is this person?" asked Garrett.

"O'Malley," stated Peter.

"You can't be serious," scoffed Garrett.

"Who's O'Malley?" I asked.

"I am serious," said Peter, ignoring my question. "I've been training him. He's ready."

"Who's O'Malley?" I asked again.

"Are you sure he can handle this job?" asked Garrett, ignoring my question. I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"I'll just let you boys have your fun since you are just going to ignore me anyway," I snapped.

"You don't need to know," called Peter as I walked out of the room.

"Whatever you say, Petey," I smirked, knowing he hated that nickname.

"BITCH!" he yelled.

"TIGHT ASS," I yelled back, walking through the dining room.

"Just like old times," laughed Felix.

I ignored the boys as they laughed and went upstairs to mine and Edward's room. I walked in and found him, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, Alice, Esme, Jacob, and Carlisle all sitting around on the bed, floor, and chairs. I stopped in the door way and glared at all of them.

"Hey, they bitched all of us out while you were out riding with Gar," snapped Rose. "So swipe the glare off your face, Bitch."

"I'm sure they really laid into you all," I scoffed, climbing on the bed next to Edward. "Did Peter interrogate you?"

"No," muttered Rose and Alice.

"Didn't think so," I muttered.

"Sorry, B," whispered Alice. "Peter told us to get the fuck out. He gave us the look."

"It's fine, Ali," I said. "We knew better."

"I know," sighed Alice. "But at least they all came. That has to mean something, right?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "That they were all bored."

"Well, I'm sure we will keep them all entertained." snickered Emmett.

"That I'm sure about, Em," I laughed. _At what cost though? _I asked myself as I looked around at my family. Would it cost me a member of my family?

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews.**


	23. Chapter 23

"Son of a motherfucking bitch," I whined as I climbed off the bed.

"I'm taking it you are still pretty sore?" asked Edward with a slight chuckled. I turned and glared at him. "Guess that's a yes."

"You know, I don't really like you right now," I snapped.

"You love me," he yelled as I walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

I turned on the shower and stripped off my clothes, while trying not to cry out as every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Once the water was hot, I stepped under and stifled my cry as I lifted my leg. My entire body was hurting.

It had been a week since Garrett's team showed up here. A week since Benjamin started his 'lets whip Twilight's asses into shape' campaign. Over the last seven days, Rose, Alice, and I have been forced to run three miles everyday, lift heavy weights, and spar against Benjamin, all in an effort to get our lazy asses back into shape. I personally think he was doing it to punish me, Rose, and Alice for being reckless. He swore that he wasn't but I saw the look in his eye. I didn't believe him and you know what? I think he knew it.

So far the team hadn't made any progress on finding out who was after me. Laurent was still trying to access the bank files but it would seem whoever was managing the account knew how to block him. That worried me because Laurent was a fucking genius. If this person was smarter than him, would we have any hope in finding him?

The rest of the team had gone over all the letters and pictures several times. All they could come up with was that whoever took the photos was able to get within fifty feet of mine and Edward's back yard. Garrett was currently waiting for the tapes from our security camera to be delivered. He was hoping that we would get glimpse of this person. I did too but I was sure we wouldn't. He seemed too smart to let himself be seen. At least until he wanted to be seen, anyway.

While the team was doing their thing, I spent the majority of my time trying to decide what I wanted to do with my life. I still loved my music but I wasn't sure I was happy with Eclipse anymore. They had proven over and over that they were just in it for the money and not entertaining our fans but could we just walk away from the company that had taken a chance on us? Would Rose and Alice want to walk away? I just wasn't sure what to do about it right now.

I sighed as I shut off the water and dried off. I stepped out of the shower and looked at myself in the mirror. I looked horrible. There were dark, purple circles under my eyes from lack of sleep. I had a couple scratches on my arms from where I had lashed out at myself while screaming in my sleep. I was still having nightmares nearly every night. I just wasn't sure how to get rid of them.

I turned away from the mirror and went out into my room. Edward had already gone downstairs, probably to give the others the update on my latest nightmare. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I grabbed my music book and made my way downstairs to the dining room where everyone was sitting. As soon as I came in, they all stopped talking. Yep, Edward told them about my nightmare. I just rolled my eyes and walked through the dining room into the living room.

I settled on the couch and started working on a new song that had been running through my head. I'm not sure how long I had been sitting on the couch when I heard the others come into the living room.

"Let's go, B," ordered Benjamin.

"No," I said, not looking up from my notebook.

"Excuse me?" he asked. I looked up at him. He was staring at me with a cock eyebrow.

"I said no," I repeated. "I am not working out today, Benji. My entire body feels like it is on fire."

"B, get your ass up," he ordered. His tone was deadly. If I didn't know that he wouldn't actually hurt me, I would have been scared.

"No," I said again. His eyes narrowed as his jaw clenched shut.

"B-"

"Leave her alone," said Garrett. Benjamin looked over at him, shocked. "She needs to rest."

"Fine," muttered Benjamin, turning and going back into the dining room. I rolled my eyes and looked back down at my music book.

"I'm fine, Gar," I said.

"No, you're not. Stop lying to yourself and deal with it already. I'm getting tired of defending you," he said, walking out of the house. Alice and Rose came over and sat down next to me.

"Thank you for getting us out of our workout, B," sighed Alice. "I'm way too sore to do anything."

"Me too," whined Rose, laying her head on my shoulder. "Every inch of my body hurts. Plus I broke a nail yesterday."

"Mine does too," I chuckled. "I think I found muscles that I didn't even know I had. Were we really that out of shape?"

"Apparently," snorted Alice, laying her head on Rose's lap. "What are you working on?"

"New song," I said. "I'm not really sure it will be any good but I need to get it out, you know?"

"Yep," sighed Alice.

"I'm sure it will be good, B," groaned Rose as she shifted on the couch.

Rose and Alice got up and went to find the boys while I went back to my song. They understood that when I got into the zone that I wasn't much company. Besides, they were used to it. I'm not sure how long I had been working on my new song when I felt my eyes start drifting to a close. I tried to fight it but my body protested as it pulled me into the deep sleep it so badly craved.

_I looked around and found myself tied up to a chair. The room was dark except for the moonlight that was filtering through the broken windows. I could tell from the limited lighting that I was in a large warehouse._

"_HELP," I screamed. My plea echoed through the large room. "SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!"_

"_No one can hear you, my beautiful Swan," whispered a man from behind me. I felt his hands slide up my arms. I tried to cringe away from his touch but I was tied too tight to the chair. "You don't have to be afraid. I won't hurt you. I love you."_

"_Let me go," I cried, pulling against the ropes that were binding me to the chair. "Just let me go and leave me alone."_

"_I can't," he whispered into my ear. I could feel his hot, sweet smelling breath on my neck. "I have to have you, my Beautiful Swan."_

"_You can't have me," I sobbed. My body was shaking violently with fear. "Just leave me alone."_

"_I can take you anytime I want," he hissed in my ear. He pulled my chair back so that I fell to the ground and hit my head on the cement._

"_AHHH," I screamed as my head exploded in pain. "HELP ME!"_

"_NO ONE WILL HELP YOU!" he bellowed. "YOU ARE MINE, BELLA. ALL MINE."_

"_NO, I'M NOT!" I screamed. He backhanded me hard. I could taste the blood in my mouth. _

"_YOU ARE MINE!" he yelled in my face. _

_He ripped the roped off of me and slung me across the floor like I was a paper doll. I scrambled to my feet as I tried to run but he tackled me onto the ground. I threw my fist up and connected with the side of his head but he just shook it off. He grabbed my arms and pinned them to the ground. I tried to kick him off of me but he managed to pin them down too._

"_You see, Bella," he hissed. I could feel his spitting on my face. I tried to make out his facial features but they were blurry. "You are mine. I will have you anytime I want you."_

"_NOOOOO," I cried._

_The man on top of me sat up and backhanded me again. He reached behind him and pulled out a gun. I tried to scream but I was too tired. I could taste the blood in my mouth. He pressed the gun to my forehead and cocked the handle._

"_See, my Beautiful Swan, I can take you anytime I want," he said. He laughed evilly as he pulled the trigger._

"NOOOOOO," I screamed as I snapped my eyes open.

I was panting heavily as I looked around. Everyone was standing around me staring at me. Edward, Garrett, and Peter all had blood pouring from their noses. I scrambled to my feet, letting my notebook fall to the ground.

"STOP STARING AT ME!" I screamed.

I turned and ran out of the house and jumped into the closest car, a black Dodge Ram pick-up. I found the keys under the visor and drove away from the house. From the review mirror I could see the others scrambling out of the house to stop me but I had to get out of there.

I drove through the small town until I found a baseball field. I parked back behind the outfield and climbed out of the truck and went to stand over by the fence. There was a softball game going on. The girls couldn't have been more than nine or ten years old. The pink team was batting while the purple team was fielding.

I'm not sure how long I was standing there when I heard a car pull up behind me. I turned and saw Kate climbing out of her truck. I turned back to the field. She came over and stood next to me but didn't say anything.

"Charlie coached us one year," I said after a few minutes. "Rosie was about ten and Ali was about nine. He had to pull some strings to get me on the same team since I wasn't old enough for the league but they let him. We never won a game all season but it didn't matter to Charlie. He would just smile and tell us we did great. You would have thought we just won the World Series based on the smile on his face."

"He loved you," said Kate.

"I know he did," I said as my eyes filled up with tears.

"It's not your fault," said Kate.

"Yes, it is," I whispered. "He's dead because I was too lazy to charge my phone."

"No, he's dead because some asshat used him to get to you," sighed Kate, looking over at me. "B, when are you going to realize that you don't have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders?"

"But I do, K," I said, looking at her. "I'm the leader of the band. It's my job to take care of Ali and Rosie. I have to keep them, and the boys, Esme, and Carlisle safe. It's my job."

"No, it's not." Kate shook her head and looked back at the field. "Do you see how they have to work together to stop the other team from scoring?"

"Yes," I said, watching the game.

The ball had been hit out to center field. The girl scooped up the ball and hit her cut off man, the second basemen, who turned and fired it into home, stopping the runner at third from coming in to score.

"One person can't play all nine positions," said Kate. "Just like they can't do it alone, neither can you. You have to let the rest of us help."

"I am," I sighed.

"No, you're not," frowned Kate. "You are pushing everyone away because you don't want any of us to get hurt. I get that, but, B, you have to let us in. You have to talk to us. Now, come on and let's get back to the house before they all have a stroke."

"Fine," I whispered.

I climbed back into the truck and followed Kate back out to the ranch. I parked behind her and followed her into the house. Everyone looked up and stared at me. I just wrapped my arms around my chest and went upstairs to mine and Edward's room. I stripped out of my clothes and climbed into bed. I pulled the pillow over my head and let my tears fall freely. I knew I would have to face them all tomorrow but for now, they would give me the space I needed.

* * *

**Thank you for all the reviews. **


	24. Chapter 24

I slipped out of the bed the next morning and left Edward sleeping contently. I wasn't sure what time he came in last night. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and headed downstairs as quietly as I could. I grabbed my music book from the coffee table and headed out to the front porch. I settled on the porch swing and pulled my knees up while I wrote.

_"Dad, do you really think we can make it?" I asked. Charlie and I were sitting on the front porch of our house in Forks. I had my guitar sitting on my legs and he was watching me play._

_"Yes, I do," said Charlie, pulling my guitar into his lap. He started lightly strumming it. "It won't be easy but if you, Rose, and Alice stick together, then you can do it."_

_"But what if we can't?" I asked. "What if we go to LA and they laugh us and call us losers?"_

_"They won't," he insisted. "But if they do, then you rear back and knock them on their asses."_

_"I'm serious, Dad," I laughed. _

_"I know you are," he chuckled. "But I got you laughing."_

_"So you did," I said, rolling my eyes. "I guess I just worry that everyone who had said that we will never make it will be right. What if we end up crawling back here with nothing?"_

_"Bella, I can't promise you that everyone in LA is going to like your music but I can promise you this, as long as you have Rose and Alice with you, the three of you can do anything. My girls are a force that can't be stopped," smiled Charlie. He began strumming my song._

_"Just when I thought I had everything  
__Your mama came back with someone new  
__You had dark silky hair just like I do  
__You smiled as she placed you gently in my arms.  
__You are my brown eyed girl._

_My brown eyed girl sees the world as unique  
__My brown eyed girl smiles all the time  
__My brown eyed girl is my little angel  
__My brown eyed girl is my baby girl"_

_"You can do it, Honey," smiled Charlie. "Just don't let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough. You are amazing."_

_"Thanks, Daddy," I whispered through my tears as I hugged him. "I love you."_

_"I love you, too," he whispered._

I shook my head as my tears slipped down my face. That was just before Rose, Alice, and I left Forks for LA with Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. Charlie, Carlisle, and Esme put on a brave face but we all knew it was hard for them to let us go. However, they knew how important our music was to us. They always encouraged us.

I heard the front door open and I looked over to see Edward coming out. He didn't say anything as he sat down on the swing with me. I turned and laid my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and just held me. Sometimes, Edward just knew when I needed him to be near me.

I'm not sure how long he and I had been sitting out on the porch when the front door opened again. This time it was Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. None of them said anything as they came over and settled in the lawn chairs that were leaning against the side of house. I could feel their eyes on me but I couldn't look up at them. I didn't want to see the pain in each of their eyes, the pain I had put there.

"Who knew Gar would ever have lawn furniture," laughed Garrett.

"No shit," laughed Jasper. Everyone but me was laughing with him. "Cheap lawn furniture, too."

"I thought the man had better taste than to actually buy plastic folding chairs," snickered Alice. "But at least they all match."

"Leave it to you, Ali, to find the positive side to cheap lawn chairs," teased Rose.

"Shut the fuck up, Rosie," laughed Alice. "I was just saying that at least he was smart enough to get matching furniture."

"Oh please. Like we all don't know K was responsible for them all matching," scoffed Emmett. "

"Will you all just shut the fuck up?" I yelled, standing up and walking toward the door. "Who give a flying fuck about matching lawn furniture?"

I threw open the front door and rolled my eyes when I saw everyone scramble to the couches to make it look like they hadn't been eaves dropping on their lame attempt to get me to talk to them. I ignored them all as I made my way up the stairs to mine and Edward's room. I shut the door behind me and went over and sat on the floor next to the window.

I know they only want to help but what am I supposed to say. Sorry, I'm cracking like a nut and going crazy. Sorry, every time I close my eyes, I find myself locked in a nightmare world with someone who wants to hurt me but I don't have any idea who that person is. Sorry, I can't protect you all from this crazy person either. What do you tell the people you love more than your own life when you can't stop them from getting hurt?

"You know, for as long as I could remember, you tried to be the toughest girl in town," said Esme. I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway with a plate with a sandwich in her hand. She shut the door behind her and came over and sat down next to me, setting the sandwich on my knees. "Sweetheart, you've been handed way too much shit to deal with right now. I get that you are overwhelmed, scared, confused, and pissed as hell."

"But," I said. Esme smiled softly.

"But you can't do this alone. You can't grieve for your father, take care of everyone, and try to stop this son of a bitch all on your own. You can let us take care of you for a change."

"That easy, huh?" I asked.

"I never said it would be easy," said Esme. "You may look like your father but you are most definitely your mother's daughter."

"How?" I asked.

"Renee was a worrier too. She fretted over your sisters when they were babies. She was afraid that they would get hurt and it would be all her fault. When Rose was maybe fifteen months old, she fell in the living room and hit her head on the coffee table. Renee was about six months pregnant with Alice. She came running over to the house with Rose in her arms. I think Renee was more upset than Rose was. Anyway, Renee was just hysterical. I called Carlisle and Charlie at work and told them both to get home immediately. I held Renee in my arms on the couch while she just sobbed. She kept saying that it was her fault for not watching Rose better. If Rose ended up with brain damage, she would never forgive herself. Carlisle and Charlie came in a few minutes after I called. Charlie immediately scooped Renee into his arms and held her, whispering that everything was going to be ok. Carlisle checked Rose over and, expect for a knot on her forehead, she was perfectly fine. Once Charlie got Renee to calm down, she saw for herself that Rose was fine. Renee was so embarrassed that she had overreacted but Carlisle and I just brushed it off. You see, Bella, you have to calm down and see that we are ok. We are going to take care of each other because that's what we do."

"You make it sound so easy," I sighed. "This asshole is willing to hurt anyone of you just to get to me. He doesn't care that you all are the only family I have."

"I know that, Sweetheart, but you can't let the fear control you. You can't let the nightmares control you anymore, either," said Esme. "Eat your lunch or I will personally kick your ass."

Esme kissed my forehead and got up and walked out of my room, shutting the door behind her. I ate my sandwich quickly and went back to my music book but all I could think of was Esme's words. She was right about me needing to let them take care of me but I didn't want to be their burden. Every time I had a nightmare, I woke up and could hear them crying. I knew that I was hurting everyone.

I shook my head as I stood up and grabbed the plate Esme had brought me and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. I washed it and set it in the sink. I made my way into the living room but nobody was in there. I heard them all out in the back yard so I headed out there.

Everyone was sitting around talking with a glass of lemonade in their hands. Garrett and Peter were standing over the grill trying to get the charcoal to light while discussing the best way to stack the charcoal. Almost everyone seemed so happy. Almost everyone. Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice, however, were sitting at one of the tables with frowns on their faces. It seemed that no matter what I was hurting them. I sat down on the back steps and pulled my knees up.

"He hurts me," I said. Everyone stopped talking and turned and looked at me. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. "Every time I close my eyes, he's there hurting me over and over. Sometimes he just beats me. Sometimes he beats one of you. Other times, he rapes me before he beats me. No matter how hard I fight, I can't stop him from hurting me or you. Yesterday, I dreamed that he killed me. He pulled out a gun and put it against my forehead and pulled the trigger. I don't know what to do."

"Why didn't you tell us you were dreaming about him doing that to you?" asked Rose. She came over and wrapped her arms around me while I cried.

"I was ashamed," I cried.

"Why were you ashamed?" cried Alice, joining our hug.

"Because I'm not strong enough to stop him," I sobbed. "No matter what I do, he's right there. He's going to find me one day and when he does, he's going to break me. I'm so scared that I am going to lose all of you when he does."

"B, we will not let him get to you," said Emmett, kneeling in front of me. Jasper and Edward joined him.

"You can't stop him," I cried. "We know nothing about him except that he is from Forks. He's a fucking ghost for all we know."

"B, listen to me," ordered Jasper, grabbing my hands. "We will not let anyone hurt you."

"He already has, J," I whispered. "That night in Forks, he grabbed my breast. He touched me, J. I feel so dirty all the time."

"You are not dirty," whispered Jasper.

"I tried to fight him. I clawed at his hands. I kicked his legs but he just laughed at me. He's going to kill me one day," I sobbed.

"B, I won't let this person get you," whispered Edward, pulling me from everyone and setting me in his lap. I nestled myself in his arms. "I won't let anyone hurt you again."

"I want to believe you, E, but I can't," I cried. "I just want my life back. I want my father back."

"Me too, love," he cried. "But we can't have Charlie back because he's gone. Right now, this is your life. I wish it were different. I wish we were laying on the beach somewhere warm where we didn't have to be afraid but we aren't. This is the best we can do."

"It's about motherfucking time!" exclaimed Laurent. We all looked over at him. He was sitting at a table with his laptop open. He looked up at us and smiled. "I know who he is."

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**Thank you for all the reviews. I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am.**


	25. Chapter 25

"It's about motherfucking time!" exclaimed Laurent. We all looked over at him. He was sitting at a table with his laptop open. He looked up at us and smiled. "I know who he is."

"Are you fucking going to tell us or would you like us to guess?" asked Edward after a moment of silence.

"The account is held by someone named Embry Call," smirked Laurent, obviously proud of himself.

"That's impossible," said Jacob from a lawn chair behind everyone. They all looked back at him.

"And just why is that, Jacob?" asked Garrett, harshly.

"Because Embry Call is seven years old," sighed Jacob, "so unless he started blackmailing Charlie at the age of two, he can't be the blackmailer. However, Sam Uley is Embry's uncle."

"Uncle Sam, huh?" mused Garrett. I shook my head softly as I climbed out of Edward's lap.

"We are never going to figure this out," I said, heading back inside the house. "I'm so tired of chasing fucking ghosts."

I made my way upstairs to mine and Edward's room and laid down on the bed. Would we ever really find this person? If it was Sam, why would he use his nephew's name on the account? He had to know that eventually someone would figure it out. Why would Sam suddenly turn against Charlie? They've worked together for ten years. Sam loved Charlie. Why would he blackmail him? What did he have to blackmail Charlie with anyway? None of this made sense. The more we tried to find, the more confused we became.

"Hey," whispered Edward, laying down behind me.

"Hey," I said. Edward, wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm worried about you," frowned Edward.

"I know," I whispered. "I'm kind of worried about me too. I'm so pissed off. I'm so scared. I'm so tired of it all, E. I just…"

"You just what?" he asked. I rolled in his arms so I was facing him.

"We should be happy," I said. "We should be on our honeymoon somewhere instead of locked up in some small hick town in the middle of Texas running from some psycho that feels this…whatever towards me. I should have been able to properly grieve for my father instead of having to run from my home. The rest of the world just goes on like nothing is happening. I can't sleep because he is always there. I feel like shit because I am so tired. I don't know what to do, E. I just don't know what to do this time. Charlie always told us what to do."

"I know, love," whispered Edward, pulling me closer to him as I cried. "I wish I could make him leave you alone, B. I wish I could tell you what to do, even though you wouldn't listen to me anyway, but I can't. We just have to take it one day at a time."

"I can't lose you, E," I cried into his chest. "I can't…"

"You are not going to lose me," he whispered, rolling us so that he was hovering over me. "We will make it through this. We will go back to Forks where we will be say goodbye to Charlie. Then we will go back to LA and live forever together, B."

"Do you promise?" I whispered through my tears.

"I promise," whispered Edward.

He leaned down and kissed me. I slid my hands up his arms and wove my fingers into his hair. Edward grounds hips into mine. I could feel his erection pressing into my leg. I kept my eyes locked on his as I reached down and palmed him through his shorts. He closed his eyes and took a ragged breath.

"B…" he whispered, huskily.

"I need you, E," I whispered. "Please, make love to me right now. I need you so much."

"I love you, B," he whispered.

"I love you, too," I whispered.

Edward and I quickly shed our clothes. I pushed Edward onto his back and settled myself between his spread legs. I took a moment to look over my husband's body. His chest was chiseled and his abs were rock hard. I slid my hand down his torso, causing him to shiver at my touch. I finally reached his cock and wrapped my hand around him.

"God, B…" he moaned. His eyes were hooded and filled with lust. I pumped his cock a few times while enjoying the moans that were escaping from his lips. "Baby, please…"

"What do you want?" I asked. "Hmm? What do you want me to do, E?"

"I want you…fuck….I want you to ride me hard, Baby," he begged. "Please."

"As you wish," I smirked.

I climbed over his legs and positioned myself over his erection that was now so hard it was standing straight up. I kept my eyes locked on Edward's as I slid down on his cock in one quick move. His hands flew to my hips as he gasped.

"FUCK," he growled.

I lifted my hips and came down just as hard and fast as my first pass had been. Over and over I claimed Edward's cock as mine, taking him in and out of me. I was in control here. This was one part of my life I could control, even if it was just for right now. Edward's hands tightened on my hips as I bounced on his cock. The sound of our skin slapping against each other's filled the room. The sound of the bedsprings squeaking bounced off the walls.

"Baby, I need you to…cum…" moaned Edward, thrusting up to meet my downward motions. "Please, I can't hold out any longer."

"FUCK!" I screamed as my orgasm shot through my body.

OH, FUCK, YES!" yelled Edward, thrusting into me once more as he came.

"That was…" I trailed off, collapsing on his chest.

"Yeah," he laughed. "Fan-fucking-tastic."

"Exactly," I smiled. I rolled off of him and laid down on the bed next to him. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," smirked Edward. "That was the best sex we've ever had."

"Yes, it was," I smiled. "But I meant thank you for just being here when I need you. You always know what I need."

"You're welcome, love," smiled Edward. He pulled the sheet up over our naked bodies as I yawned. "It's time for you to sleep."

"I'm scared," I whispered, laying my head on his chest. Edward wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tighter into his embrace.

"I've got you now," he whispered, kissing the top of my head. "You can rest now, love."

"Love…you…E…" I trailed off as my eyes closed and I drifted off to sleep. I barely heard him whisper that he loved me too.

_I looked around and once again found myself in the meadow. The wind was blowing lightly causing the trees and flowers to dance back and forth. I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head on them. I heard a noise next to me and looked over to see Renee sitting next to me._

"_Mom?" I asked. She smiled and bent her head to the side, her blond hair falling to the side._

"_Hello, my Isabella," she smiled. Her voice sounded like angels singing from heaven. I could feel my tears spilling down my cheeks as I threw myself in her arms. "It's ok, my darling. I've got you."_

"_You're so beautiful," I sobbed._

"_Thank you, but I'm nowhere near as beautiful as you are," she laughed. I pulled back but stayed as close to her as I could. She reached up and wiped my tears off my face. "How I wish I could have seen you grow up, my Isabella. You are even more beautiful than I ever dreamed you would be."_

"_I wish you could have too," I said, sadly. "Is Daddy ok?"_

"_Daddy is just fine," smiled Renee. "I'm taking very good care of him, I promise. Now, I know you are scared right now, Darling, but you need to calm down and let them help you. You won't be doing yourself or anyone else any good if you don't relax."_

"_I'm trying," I sighed. "I don't know how."_

"_My Isabella," she sighed softly. "You're doing it right now. Keep talking with them. Make sure they know how scared you are. I would be willing to bet that they are all just as scared as you are."_

"_I know they are," I frowned, pulling my knees up to my chest. "How do I make whoever is after me leave me alone when I try to sleep?"_

"_You let Edward hold you," smiled Renee. "He's a remarkable young man. He loves you. He's willing to fight for you. Don't let him go."_

"_I won't," I smiled at her. "I love him too much to let him go."_

"_Oh, I know," laughed Renee. She sighed and looked behind her._

"_You have to go now, don't you?" I asked, sadly._

"_Yes," said Renee, frowning. She grabbed my hands and pulled them into her lap. "Before I go, I have to tell you something."_

"_Ok, what?" I asked, nervously._

"_Look where the road has taken you already. Every detail is important, those in the past and present. You already know what you need to find," said Renee, looking into my eyes._

"_I don't understand," I said. "What do you mean?"_

"_Think about it, Isabella," smiled Renee. "And remember to watch out for the wolf. He's after my beautiful swan."_

"_I don't understand," I cried as Renee stood up and walked into the trees. I scrambled to my feet and tried to run after her. "WAIT, I DON'T UNDERSTAND!"_

_Renee stops and looks back at me with a smile on her face. "Isabella, trust yourself, my darling. You already know who it is, even if you don't want to believe they can't hurt you again."_

I snapped my eyes open and looked around. Edward was sitting on the bed watching me with a worried look on his face. It had to be late in the morning with the way the sun was flittering in through the windows.

"Baby, you ok?" asked Edward but I was too busy replaying Renee's words through my head. What did she mean I already know who it was? Who did I think can't hurt me…No, she couldn't mean…

"Oh shit!" I gasped. I jumped out of the bed and pulled on Edward's boxers and t-shirt. "I am a fucking idiot."

"B, what's going on?" asked Edward, climbing out of the bed but I was already out of the room. I ran down the stairs to the dining room where everyone was sitting.

"Hey, B," smiled Rose.

"I need the bank statement for the Seattle account," I snapped, looking around at everyone.

"What's going on?" asked Garrett.

"Just give me the fucking statements," I snapped again.

"Here," said Peter, thrusting them in my hands.

I took the papers in my hand and looked them over. God, how did we miss this? Same day every month. Same fucking day! It couldn't be a coincidence. I dropped to my knees as I brought the papers to my chest. My body was shaking with fear.

"God, no…no…no…NO!" I screamed.

"B, what is it?" snapped Rose as she, Alice, Edward, Emmett, and Jasper, dropped to their knees in front of me.

"Look at the date," I cried, trusting the statements at them . "Same day of each month."

"Oh my god," whispered Alice, all the color leaving her face as she stumped against Jasper. "It can't be."

"It has to be," I whispered. Emmett, Edward, and Jasper all just sat there shocked.

"No, cause Charlie had him put away," said Rose, shaking her head.

"Rosie, look at the date," I whispered. "It's him. He's out."

"No," she whispered, looking up at me with wide eyes. "It can't be."

"It is," I whispered. "Who else would Charlie go to so much effort to keep away from us?"

"NO!" screamed Esme. We all looked up at her as realization washed over her. She scrambled back from her chair to the wall behind her. "No, Charlie would have told me and Carlisle. It's impossible."

"No, he wouldn't have," sighed Carlisle, running his hands over his face. He stood up and pulled Esme into his arms. "He tried to protect us all."

"Someone had better explain what the fuck is going on here right now," growled Garrett. I stood up on shaky legs and went over to him. I handed him the statement.

"The son of a bitch that is after me is my Uncle Phil," I said, tears running down my face. "And there is no way to stop him."

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**Thought I was going to leave you hanging again, didn't you??? Oh, wait, I am. *shuffles away quickly while avoiding the growls coming from GAjujubee for leaving another cliffy***


	26. Chapter 26

"B? Talk to me, Honey," said Garrett. I was curled up in Edward's arms. We were sitting in the middle of the dining room on the floor. I could feel my entire body shaking. The air was thick with tension and anticipation. "Tell us about your Uncle Phil."

"Philip Dwyer is my mother's baby brother. He is five years younger than she was. When I was seven, Phil showed up at our house in Forks. We had only seen him a handful of times in the years before this, never more than for a few hours. He said that he needed a place to stay for a few days before he went back to school in Seattle. He was supposedly attending the University of Washington and Charlie agreed to let him stay. For the first couple days, everything was great; Phil seemed like a cool guy. He would play with all of us. Then on the third day, something changed. We were in the backyard, playing a game of tag with the boys, when he just started screaming at us all to shut up. He was pulling at his hair and then stormed away but we didn't think anything about it. We figured he was just getting tired of us yelling and screaming. Over the next couple of days, his behavior got worse and worse. We would hear him muttering to himself or talking to various people who weren't there," I said softly. I shook my head softly, unable to keep talking. Rose, Alice, Emmett, and Jasper had all moved so that they were sitting in a circle around me and Edward, protecting us.

"On his sixth day with us, he seemed better but we were kids and had no clue what was really going on with him. Charlie had told us to stay over at the boys' house while he responded to a call so we did. The six of us were playing a game of hide and go seek in the backyard when we realized B was missing. We looked and looked for her but we couldn't find her. We ran into the house and told Esme and Carlisle that we couldn't find her," continued Rose, picking up the story for me as she let her tears fall. She was clutching my hand in tightly in hers.

"We called Charlie immediately and he came rushing over with a couple of his deputies," explained Esme. "We looked for her for hours. We had search parties all over town but it was like she disappeared. Then we got a call from someone at the hospital. They had Bella in the emergency room."

"We rushed over and I checked her over. Luckily, she was unharmed physically," said Carlisle, shaking his head softly. "But, um…"

"Phil had taken me from the backyard and dragged me into the woods. He kept his hand over my mouth so I couldn't scream for help and I knew immediately that something was wrong," I cried softly.

"Did he rape you, Honey?" whispered Peter, kneeling down between Emmett and Jasper.

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "He took me to this cave in the woods and set me in the corner. For awhile he just sat there in the doorway talking to himself. He would argue and hit himself. All I could do was cry because I didn't understand why he had taken me from the others."

"Can you remember what he said exactly?" asked Benjamin.

"He kept saying that I was his angel and then he would say that I wasn't an angel, that I was a demon. He went back and forth like that forever and then he just stopped. He stood up and stepped towards me. I was so scared that he was going to hurt me or something but instead he came over and knelt down in front of me. He reached out and brushed my hair out of my face and said 'You're no demon, Beautiful Bella. You're my beautiful angel. NeNe, sent you to me.' He pulled me to the ground and held me down. I screamed for him to leave me alone but he just ignored me. He pulled out a marker and wrote angel across my forehead. He pushed that marker so hard onto my forehead like he was trying to make it go through my skin. Then he got off of me and ran out of the cave. He just left me there. I'm not sure how I managed to find my way back into town but I did. This woman found me walking along the road and she took me to the hospital," I whispered through my tears. I hadn't thought about that day in a long time.

"Oh my god," whispered several of the people around us. I buried my face in Edward's chest. He tightened his arms around me. He knew I hated talking about that day.

"What…" trailed off Garrett. I could tell he was struggling with this information, too. "Did they catch him?"

"Phil showed back up at Charlie's a few hours later. Bella, Rose, and Alice were staying at our house with Esme because we were afraid that he would come back after her again. Charlie and I were sitting in the living room when he came in. He acted like nothing was wrong but his hands were covered in dirt as were his clothes. Charlie threw him to the ground and started beating the shit of out him. I was barely able to pull him off of the son of a bitch. Charlie arrested him for kidnapping and assault. Phil tried to deny that he had done anything but during his arraignment, he started muttering about the demons being after him. The judge ordered that he submit to a psychological evaluation. The psychiatrist determined that he suffered from schizophrenia. They sent him to a mental facility in Seattle where he was ordered to stay for at least three years or until the doctor deemed him mentally fit to return to society," explained Carlisle. "The last we heard he was still locked up. He had gone off his meds a few times during the first few years and they didn't think he was safe to be released but we haven't heard anything in several years."

For several minutes, nobody said anything. Everyone had joined us on the floor. The only sound in the room was the sound of a few of the women crying softly into the arms of their husbands, deep breathes, and soft sighs of frustration. I just nestled myself in Edward's tight embrace, trying desperately to find a safe place.

"Ok," said Peter, after several awkwardly silent minutes. I peeked up at him from Edward's arms. "Are you sure that Phil is the man after you?"

"Yes," I muttered. "The date of the deposits, the thirteenth, is the day he took me. It was the thirteenth day of August."

"Why would he blackmail Charlie?" asked Garrett.

"I don't think he was," said Jacob. We all looked back at him.

"Why not?" asked Seth, smiling at him. Jacob blushed slightly and looked away.

"I think Sam was blackmailing Charlie with Phil," explained Jacob. "Before Sam came onto the force, he worked at a mental hospital in Seattle, as a security guard. I think he must have worked at the same one that Phil was at. It's too big of a coincidence."

"I'll search through his employment history and see if I can find a match to where Phil stayed. Carlisle, do you know the name of the facility where they sent him?" asked Laurent.

"Yes, Fairfax Hospital," said Carlisle, dryly.

"Ok, I'll see what I can find," whispered Laurent, turning toward the living room.

"It won't do any good," I whispered, causing him to stop and look back at me.

"B, we-"

"He's trained special forces," I said, getting up. "He knows how to stay hidden until he wants to be found. He's a goddamn genius. We don't have a shot in hell of stopping him. We might as well give up now."

"B, you can't give up now," said Garrett.

"I won't have a choice," I whispered. "He's going to kill me."

I turned and made my way through all of them and out to the front porch. I curled up on the porch swing and watched as the sun started to set over the plains. After Phil took me, I spent the next week at Edward's house, in his room. I was terrified that Phil would come back for me and couldn't handle going back home. Rose and Alice stayed with me, of course. They, Emmett, Jasper, Edward, and I spent the everyday in Edward's room. They built me a fort in the middle of his room. They told me it was a magic fort that kept all the bad guys away. The six of us slept in there every night for a week.

That was when Charlie started teaching me how to play the guitar. My therapist told him that I needed to find a way to get my fears out so he bought me a cheap guitar and started teaching me how to play. That was when I really found my love of music. Eventually, the guitar lead to the piano lessons and voice lessons.

Charlie also started teaching the three of us how to fight back. He told us that it was important that we know how to defend ourselves against unwanted advances or attacks but I tried to fight back and didn't do me any good.

I shook my head softly. I hadn't thought about those few months in so long. As a family, Phil just didn't exist to us. I can look back now and see how much our family grew from that one day. Rose and Alice grew even more protective of me as did Emmett, Jasper, and Edward. Maybe that's why Charlie always encouraged us to play our music. Maybe that was his way of getting us away from Phil. A lot of good that did.

I sat on the front porch well after the sky turned black and the stars popped out. I could hear the quiet chatter coming from inside the house as the others tried to find someway to stop the crazy madman that was after me. There was no laughter tonight, no joyful teasing. No, tonight they all sounded resigned and distressing. They were glum and morose.

Eventually, I got up off the swing, no longer able to stand the darkness that surrounded me, and made my way inside. I ignored the quiet stares from Garrett and his team as I made my way from the living room to the dining room. I ignored the pitiful glances from Tanya, Kate, and Irina as I walked through the dining room to the stairs.

I slowly took the stairs, dragging my feet up each and every one like they were leading me to my doom. I went over and pushed open the door to mine and Edward's room and busted out laughing, for what felt like the first time in weeks. They had built me a fort.

"Your magic fort awaits you, love," smiled Edward, wiping the tears that fell down my face.

"Magical, huh?" I asked.

"Yep," whispered Rose. "Nothing can invade the fort, B. Remember?"

"I remember," I whispered. "Will all of you stay with us? Please?"

"We aren't going anywhere, B," whispered Emmett, blinking back the tears I saw swimming in his eyes.

I just nodded softly as I grabbed my pajamas and went into the bathroom to change. I made my way back into the room and crawled into the fort where my family was waiting. I snuggled into Edward's arms as everyone laid down on the pallet of blankets and pillows that laid on the floor. They all made small talk while I silently let my tears fall. Maybe for one night at least, the magic of the fort would keep us safe.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. **


	27. Chapter 27

PHIL'S POV

I slowly made my way into the large white house, being careful not to set off the alarm system. Rich people always thought that having an alarm system could stop anyone. They were wrong. I had to find out where my beautiful swan is and they were the only people who would know where she is. I slowly and quietly made my way up the stairs to the master bedroom.

"Don't be scared, Philly," whispered Renee. I turned back to her. She reached up and stroked my face. "You want to find your beautiful swan, don't you?"

"We shouldn't be here," hissed Maria, a crazy dark haired woman. She refused to leave me and Renee alone. "The demons will find you here, Philip."

"Shhh" I whispered. "My beautiful swan will keep the demons away. Right, NeNe?"

"That's right, honey," smiled Renee.

Maria rolled her eyes but didn't say anything else. I turned back to the door and slowly turned the handle. I slipped into the bedroom and made my way over to the bed. They looked so peaceful in their sleep. I almost felt bad for having to wake them but I needed to find my beautiful swan before the demons did.

I slowly reached out and placed my hand over the mouth of the girl. Her eyes flew open as she screamed into my hand. I tightened my grip until her eyes rolled back and she stopped fighting me. I gently lifted her out of the bed and carried her downstairs to the living room. I placed her in one of the chairs I had set up and tied her to it. I made my way back up the stairs and collected the boy. He fought back a little but not enough to stop me.

Once I had them both secured to the chairs, I slid to the floor in the corner and waited for them to wake up. From the moment I saw my beautiful swan, I knew she was sent here just for me. Of course, I was terrified of her at first. Maria kept going on and on about her being a demon sent to hurt me but after a few months, Renee came back.

Charlie tried to fool me by telling me Renee had died. He even went as far as having a funeral for her. That lying son of a bitch just didn't want to share my Renee with me. But it didn't matter in the long run because she managed to escape from him and came back to me. Finally, I had my NeNe back.

Renee told me that Bella was my angel, that she was sent here to take care of me but that I had to be patient and wait until she was ready. I almost blew it that day. She wasn't ready for me and I tried to rush fate.

_Bella was curled up in the corner of the small cave I had found for us. She looked so scared with tears running down her face. She was whimpering and begging me to take her back home._

"_You should kill her now, Philip," ordered Maria. "That demon needs to be put down."_

"_She's not a demon," I moaned from my seat in the opening of the cave. _

"_That's right, Philly," smiled Renee, sitting next to me and placing her hand on my knee. "She's your angel. Remember what I told you?"_

"_She's an angel," I mumbled. "She's my angel. She's my angel."_

"_That's right," said Renee. "You have to keep her safe."_

"_That's completely ridiculous," hissed Maria, jerking my shoulders back so that I was facing her. "That girl is going to end you, Phillip. She wants to take us away from you. She wants to take your NeNe away from you."_

"_NO," I cried out. _

"_She's a demon sent here to kill you, Phillip," smirked Maria. I looked back over at Bella. She was so little. How could she hurt me? "She had powers, Phillip. She's the devil's spawn."_

"_No, Philly," soothed Renee, placing her hand over my heart. I turned back and looked at her. "She's an angel, sent here to take care of you. One day, when she's ready, she will be all yours. All you will have to do is take her."_

"_She's my angel," I murmured over and over. _

_I stood up, ignoring the whining from Maria, and went over to Bella. She looked so frightened, so innocent. I knelt down in front of her. Her wide brown eyes were filled with the tears that were pouring down her face. I reached up to stroke her face and she flinched back. I pretended not to notice as I pushed her hair back off her face. _

"_You're no demon, Beautiful Bella. You're my beautiful angel. NeNe sent you to me_," _I whispered. _

"_Mark her, Philly," whispered Renee, coming up behind me. "Make sure everyone knows she's not a demon."_

"_Like that will help," scoffed Maria._

_I ignored Maria as I pulled Bella to the ground and held her down. She started screaming and crying for me to leave her alone. I pulled out the black sharpie marker from my back pocket and wrote ANGEL on her forehead. Bella cried out that I was hurting her so I jumped off of her. I couldn't hurt my angel._

"_Run, Philly," hissed Renee. "Run before they come for you."_

_I turned and ran out of the cave leaving my Angel laying on the floor, crying and scared._

I felt like I ran for miles that day. Eventually, I made my way back to Charlie's house. He was so upset with what I had done to Bella. I tried to pretend I didn't know what he was talking about but Charlie didn't buy it. The judge wasn't fooled, either. He forced me to talk to a shrink who kept trying to tell me that Maria and Renee weren't real. He even went as far as to pretend that he couldn't see them when they were sitting right next to me. Fucking quack.

They all claimed I was sick and needed to be locked up in a hospital for crazy people. They forced me to take drugs that made me feel disoriented and tired all the time. Renee and Maria stopped visiting me, too, when I took the pills. I needed them, even crazy Maria. The nurses and doctors all just ignored me. The only person who paid me any attention was Sam.

Sam was one of the night guards on the floor. He would sit outside my room at night and talk to me. He loved to hear my stories about my beautiful swan. He said there was no way someone as beautiful as she was could be a demon. He was my only friend in that place and when he left, he promised to watch over my beautiful swan for me until I could come back for her. He's kept that promise for five long years. I hope he was ok back in our room. He didn't like it when I went out without him.

"What…" trailed off the boy as he started to come too. I snapped my attention to him and his girl. She slowly lifted her head from her chest and looked around. Their eyes landed on me and I saw the fear flash in them. "Who are you?"

"It's doesn't matter who I am," I muttered, standing up.

"Careful, Philly," warned Renee. "They may be working for the demons."

"You think so?" I asked, turning and looking at her.

"Yes," replied Renee. "Look at how dark their eyes are, they have devil eyes."

"She's right, Phillip," agreed Maria. It wasn't very often that they agreed on anything so it must be true. I turned back to the boy and girl sitting in front of me.

"Where is my beautiful Swan?" I demanded.

"What?" cried the girl. I reached over and backhanded her.

"AAAHHH," she cried out.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" yelled the boy, trying to break through my restraints. Silly boy, I was the best. I shook my head as I pulled out the gag from my pocket and tied it around the boy's mouth.

"Tell me where my beautiful swan is and I will let you live," I explained, stroking the cheek of the girl. She shuddered and pulled away from me.

"NO," she screamed. I gripped her face in my hand and squeezed her jaw causing her to cry out again.

"Tell me or I will make you watch me kill your boy here," I hissed. "She's mine, demon. You can't have her anymore."

"I don't know where she is," cried the girl.

"Pity," I sighed, letting her face go. "Now, I have to hurt him."

"Please don't hurt him," cried the girl.

"Do it, Philly," pushed Renee. Her eyes were bright and shiny. She was excited. She loved watching the pain I inflicted on others. "Hurt him so we can find her, Philly."

"Ok, NeNe," I whispered. I pulled out my hunting knife and held it up in front of the boy.

"Please don't hurt him," begged the girl. "I swear to you that we don't know where she is."

"I don't believe you, demon," I said.

I brought the knife down onto the front of the boy's t-shirt and cut it down the middle. I kept my eyes locked with the girl's as I cut shallow slices into his chest in a V shape pattern. Then using the thin part of the knife, I lifted up the tip at the bottom of the V and viciously ripped the skin off. The boy screamed against the gag in his mouth as his body convulsed against his restraints.

"Now, do I need to continue, demon, or are you going to tell me where my beautiful swan is?" I asked, calmly.

"I swear, we don't know," she cried. "They didn't tell us where they were going. I swear to God we don't know!"

"Why must you continue to lie," I sighed.

"I'm not lying," she sobbed. "I don't know where she is."

I sighed as I went over to the table where my bag was sitting. I placed my hunting knife inside and pulled out a small pocket knife. I turned back to the girl and stood in front of her. I gripped her hand in mine and flipped open the pocket knife. Her eyes went wide as she tried to pull her hand away from mine.

"Last chance, girl," I said.

"I don't know," she cried. "Please, I don't know."

"Do it, Phillip," ordered Maria. "She doesn't think you will hurt her. Prove to the demon that you will."

I nodded my head at Maria before I took my pocket knife and shoved it under the fingernail of her right pointer finger. She screamed and thrashed but my grip on her hand was iron tight. I looked up into her eyes as I flicked up, tearing her nail off of her finger.

"AAAHHH!" she screamed.

The boy was fighting against his restraints, trying to save his girl. It was almost noble of him. I would be impressed if they weren't demons sent to destroy me and my angel. I tore off two more of her nails, while she screamed for me to stop. I went back over to my bag and dropped my pocket knife inside. I pulled out my hammer and turned back to Renee.

"Do I have to keep going?" I asked.

"Yes, they know where she is, Philly," said Renee. "Do it for me."

"Ok," I whispered. I turned back to the girl who was sobbing uncontrollably. "All you have to do is tell me where she is, girl, and I will stop this right now. Don't you want me to stop?"

"Yes," she cried softly. "But I don't know where she is. I would tell you if I knew."

"I don't believe you. You lie all the time," I said. I went over and stood in front of the boy. He had a small trail of blood pouring from his wound on his chest. I reached out and poked it. He screamed against the gag in his mouth. I ripped the gag off his mouth.

"WE DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE IS!" he shouted at me.

"I don't believe YOU!" I yelled back. I brought the hammer down on his fingers. The room was filled with a mixture of his screams and the crunching of his bones. "TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!"

"I DON'T KNOW!" he shouted though his tears. I brought the hammer back and busted each of his knee caps. "PLEASE STOP!"

"Tell me where she is," I said, "and I will stop."

"Last we heard they were in Vegas," cried the girl.

"Shut up," hissed the boy as I snapped my eyes over to the girl.

"No," she cried. "They went to Vegas a couple weeks ago but we don't know where they went from there."

"Are you lying, girl?" I asked, going over and standing in front of her.

"No," she cried. "I swear, we don't know."

"Is she lying, NeNe?" I asked, turning to Renee. She moved over so that she was standing right in front of the girl.

"I can't tell," said Renee after a few minutes. "She's a clever demon."

"I think she's lying," piped up Maria.

"Nobody asked you," I hissed at her. She rolled her eyes and settled into one of the chairs. I turned back to Renee. "Do I believe her?"

"He's fucking crazy," muttered the boy, under his breath.

"I AM NOT CRAZY," I screamed, bringing the hammer down on the girl's head over and over.

I could feel her blood spraying out onto me but I didn't care. I didn't care if I was being covered in brain matter and bone fragments. I stopped swinging the hammer as I stumbled back a few steps. I dropped the hammer into my bag and pulled out my hunting knife.

The girl was slumped over, dead. The boy was crying and screaming for anyone to help them. I went over to the boy and pulled his hair to pull his head back. His eyes were filled with grief, fear, and pity. I brought the knife up to his neck slowly.

"I am not crazy," I said, pressing the knife into his skin and slicing his neck from ear to ear. His warm blood, flowed down his neck and chest. "I am not crazy."

"No, you're not crazy, Philly," soothed Renee, placing her hand on my shoulder. I turned back to her. "We need to go before someone comes."

"Ok, NeNe," I whispered. I went over to my bag and dropped my knife inside. I zipped it up and slung it over my shoulder. I grabbed Renee's hand as we made our way out of the house to our car.

"You did good tonight, Phillip," smiled Maria, looping her arm in with mine. "You did real good."

"Will we find her?" I asked.

"She's sure to come back now," smiled Renee. "We'll help you get your beautiful swan, Philly. I promise."

"I hope so," I murmured. "I need her."

We loaded into the car and I drove us back to the hotel. We made our way inside and found Sam laying on the bed. He looked up at me and gasped.

"What did you do?" he demanded, standing up.

"I was looking for her," I explained. "I went to her friend's house but they wouldn't tell me where she was."

"Where you careful?" asked Sam, grabbing my hand in his gently.

"Yes," I whispered, "I promise."

"Good," whispered Sam. He smiled as he brought his hand up and stroked my cheek. "Let's get you cleaned up before we go to bed. We'll find her, Babe."

I just nodded my head as I let him pull me into the bathroom. Renee and Maria settled on the bed to wait for us. Sam turned on the water and helped me strip off my clothes before removing his own. We climbed into the shower and he helped me wash off the evidence of my quest.

Once we were both clean, we dried each other off and went back into our room. We climbed into bed naked. He leaned in and kissed me before he turned off the light and held me as I fell of sleep thinking about my angel, my beautiful swan.

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**Thank you for all the reviews over this story so far.**


	28. Chapter 28

**BPOV**

I woke up the next morning before the others did. I still couldn't believe they had built me a fort last night. Well, I can believe they did because for some reason they all still loved me, no matter how crazy I was. I knew I was lucky to have them. I slowly slipped out of the fort, leaving them sleeping contently, and made my way downstairs. Garrett and his team were all sitting around the table in the dining room. It looked like none of them had slept at all last night. I couldn't help but feel guilty that they were doing all of this for me. They looked up at me when I came in and I could see the pity in their expressions.

"Hey, you ok, B?" asked Garrett.

"No," I muttered, walking past them. "But what else is new."

I headed outside and settled on the porch, again. It was a hot and humid morning here in Texas. The sun was shining brightly down on me but I didn't feel warm. My body shivered and I knew it had nothing to do with the weather but with the threat that lingered over me. I heard the front door open as Edward, Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper came out and sat down around me, Edward as close as he could without literally placing me in his lap.

"How'd you sleep in the fort?" asked Edward, before kissing my cheek.

"Good," I said, laying my head on his shoulder. Edward slipped his arm around my back and held me tight. "It really was a magic fort, I guess."

"You doubted us, your trusted sidekicks?" asked Emmett, feigning hurt.

"No," I chucked, weakly.

"You had better not have or I would have had to fight dirty," smirked Emmett.

"You can't do anything to me," I scoffed.

"Yes, I can," smiled Emmett.

"Like what?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at him. He smiled evilly as he grabbed my foot and started tickling me. I laughed as I kicked at him. "STOP IT, EM!"

"Ok, stop kicking me," laughed Emmett, letting go of my foot.

"You are such a cheater," I huffed, kicking him in the leg before I settled back up next to Edward.

"He always was," snorted Jasper. "You remember when we used to play Monopoly. He used to hide money under his leg and then pretend that he couldn't afford to pay the rent."

"Or when he would turn over tiles when we played Scramble so he could make his words," snickered Alice. "By the end of the game, there would be at least ten blank tiles on the board."

"Not to mention how he would lie when we played go fish," scoffed Jasper.

"You're all just jealous that you aren't as smart as me," smirked Emmett.

"Whatever, Em," smiled Rose, laying her head on his shoulder. "But it's ok, we still love you."

"Thanks, I think," snorted Emmett. We fell into an awkward silence. The bird were singing from the trees that surrounded the front part of the house.

"Charlie would have liked it here," I whispered.

"Yeah, he would have," said Alice, pulling her knees up to her chest. Jasper pulled her into his lap. "I know he loved Forks, but he would have loved to saddle up a horse and spend the day out on the range."

"Then he would have come in and sat on the porch with a cold beer in his hand and complained about his ass hurting," said Rose, wiping a tear off her face. Emmett wrapped his arms around her.

"He probably would have wanted you girls to sing for him," said Peter as he, Garrett, and Laurent came out onto the porch. They settled down on the front steps. "He loved to hear his girls sing."

"That he did," mused Garrett. "I remember that show we did in Seattle. He stood on the side of the stage listening to you three with the biggest smile on his face. I asked him what he so happy about. He looked over at me and said 'Garrett, just look at them. They are the most beautiful girls in the world.' He turned back to the stage and just watched you sing."

"He told me once that watching you girls on stage was like watching fireworks exploding. You owned the stage and made sure that not one person in the audience went home less than amazed," smiled Laurent.

"Too bad we couldn't save him," I mumbled.

"You know, we are going to do everything we can to stop him from getting you, don't you?" asked Peter. "I mean, we know you are scared but you can trust us."

"I know that, Peter," I said. "It's not about trust. It's about the fact that you guys don't know him. He is literally crazy."

"Oh, trust us, we know," muttered Peter. "How much do you know about your mother's family?"

"Nothing," said Alice.

"Charlie didn't have much information for us," said Rose

"Phillip David Dwyer was the youngest son to Simone and Franklin Dwyer and younger brother to Renee Abigail Dwyer. Franklin Dwyer was a hatefully abusive man who beat his wife in front of his children until she finally got she courage to leave him when Renee was sixteen and Phillip was eleven. For the next year, they moved every few weeks to make sure that Franklin didn't find them. The following March after they left, Franklin found his wife and children living in a seedy hotel in Seattle. He butchered Simone and nearly beat Renee and Phillip to death before the police were able to stop him. He claimed that Simone was a spy who was trying to destroy him and that Renee and Phillip were plotting with her. Renee and Phillip were sent to Forks to live with their Aunt Maria, their father's sister. Renee met Charlie soon after and they were married just after they turned eighteen. Maria died a year after your parents were married when someone smothered her in her sleep. During the year he spent alone with his aunt, Phillip's behavior at school became so violent that they had to bring in the police at least three separate occasions. He was picking fights with other boys, making sexual comments to female classmates, and vandalizing property. Fourteen year old Phillip was sent to a military school in Texas after the judge ordered that he needed more structure than what Charlie and Renee could give him," explained Peter.

"I'm still trying to get into his records from the school in Texas as well as his service records in the Marines," added Laurent.

"So you think he killed his aunt?" asked Edward, tightening his arm around my shoulder.

"Yes, I do," said Peter.

"I was able to hack into his patient file at Fairfax hospital and took a look over the notes from some of his therapy sessions," said Laurent. "It would appear that Maria seduced Phillip into having a sexual relationship with her sometime between when your parents were married and she was murdered. He never said so but I think he killed her because Maria was trying to keep him away from Renee, who he often referred to as NeNe."

"This is so fucked up," muttered Alice, shuddering. "This is the kind of shit you see on soap operas."

"So what do you know about Sam?" asked Rose, ignoring Alice's observation.

"Nothing," said Laurent. "His employment records from Fairfax were clean. He started there when he was nineteen. He didn't have any complaints about abusing the patients, or misconduct at all. He worked there for three years before he quit and moved to Forks, where he worked with your father until two weeks ago when he just upped and left. There is no other information out there on Sam Uley. I can't find high school records, dental records, drivers license, nothing. Someone is going to a lot of trouble to cover up this guy's tracks."

"This just gets more impossible every fucking day," I muttered, standing up.

I turned and walked off the porch, leaving them there to figure it out. I was tired of thinking about it. Edward came up behind me and wrapped his arm around my waist as we walked over to the stables. We climbed up and sat down on the fence. The brown horse I had ridden the other day came over and rubbed his nose on my hand.

"Well, hello to you, too," I chuckled, rubbing the side of his head. "You have it pretty good here, don't you big guy."

"Do I need to give you and this fella a moment alone?" teased Edward.

"Nah," I smiled. "He has nothing on you, E."

"Thanks," he smirked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"You are such a dork," I snorted.

"But I'm your dork," chuckled Edward.

"That you are," I smiled, shaking my head. I sighed and looked around. "It's kind of nice here."

"Yeah, it is," said Edward. "Maybe we should just move down here."

"We could become farmers," I laughed.

"We could grow hay and raise chickens," smiled Edward. "I could get myself a pair of demin overalls and learn how to whittle a flute out of a piece of wood."

"And I could learn to play the banjo. How hard can it be?" I laughed.

"Oh, the others could move down here and we could form our own folk band. Em could play an old harmonic, Rosie could play the tambourine and Ali could play the triangle. J could play a washboard," laughed Edward.

"What would you play?" I asked, cocking my eyebrow at him.

"I would be the lead singer, of course," he scoffed.

"Why can't I be the lead singer?" I asked.

"Because in folk bands, the man is always the leader," smirked Edward.

"You are so full of shit," I giggled, rolling my eyes. "But I'll let you be the leader since I'm sure you will look the best in those overalls."

"They would make my ass look good," he said. "We could play county fairs across the state."

"What would the name of our folk band be?" I asked with a smile.

"Joe Bob's washboards," laughed Edward.

"Oh, that is lame!" I snorted as I laughed.

"It's supposed to be lame," chuckled Edward.

"God, it's a good thing you are cute," I giggled.

"That almost sounded like a compliment," snorted Edward.

"It almost was one," I teased.

Edward and I sat out by the stables for awhile longer just petting the brown horse, who I named Brownie. He didn't seem to want to leave me and Edward alone. He whinnied at Edward several times almost in warning causing me to laugh and Edward to mutter about me liking the horse better than him. No matter how many times I told him that the horse had nothing on him, Edward would still complained.

Eventually, we climbed off the fence and headed back to the house. We walked into the living room and found everyone crowded around the TV. I was fixing to ask them what they were watching when I heard the reporter on the news start talking.

"… the mutilated bodies of Angela and Ben Cheney where found early this morning by their housekeeper as she came in to start her day. There were no signs of forced entry into the house…"

Everyone in the room turned and looked at me but my eyes were glued to the TV as the report showed the corner carrying out the body bags that contained the bodies of our friends. I could feel my hands start to shake as I looked at the screen. I finally broke my eyes away from the screen and looked up at Edward, who was staring down at me.

I shook my head slowly at first but went faster as I looked around the room. It wasn't possible. They couldn't be dead. Not because of me. Edward reached out to hold me but I pushed him away as I stumbled back against the door behind me.

"No," I whispered. "No…No…NO!"

"B…" whispered Edward as I slid to the ground.

"NO!" I screamed. "NO, NO, NO!"

"Bella," whispered Edward, grabbing my hand.

"Please, no…" I whispered, letting my tears fall freely.

"I'm sorry, Bella," whispered Edward. "They're gone."

"I killed them," I whispered before the darkness took me over. God, forgive me for killing my friends.

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**Thank you for all the reviews over this story. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

"_She was just a small town girl  
__Living in the big wide world  
__She was just a small town girl  
__Who dreamed of owning it all  
__Just a small town girl,  
__Oh, Just a small town girl."_

"_Thanks for coming out tonight," I said into the mic. "We'll see you next time."_

_Rose, Alice, and I made our way off of the stage at Callahan's Bar and headed over to the bar. Terrance, the manager of the bar, smiled as he came over to us. He placed his hand on the bar and smirked at us._

"_Well, girls, as always that was a nice set," he smirked. "When can you come back?"_

"_When are you going to start paying us?" I countered._

"_This is an open mic kind of a joint, sugar" chuckled Terrance._

"_And we are want to eat and have a place to live kind of band," I pointed out._

"_Then you are wasting your time here in this shit box," said Angela Weber. The three of us turned around and saw her standing behind us with a big smile on her face and her hands on her hips._

"_Ang!" I squealed, throwing my arms around here. "What the fuck are you doing here?"_

"_I've come to talk to this totally amazing girl band I've been hearing so much about," she laughed. I pulled back and looked at her. _

"_Us?" I asked._

"_No, those tramps over in the corner." Angela rolled her eyes. "Of course, I'm talking about you three bitches."_

"_People have been talking about us?" asked Alice, shocked. Rose had an equally shocked look on her face. _

"_Fuck, Alice, every music label in town has been trying to find a way to get to you three," smirked Angela as we headed over to a table and sat down. "I was almost afraid that I was going to be too late and you would be signed by someone else. I'm not, am I?"_

"_What are you talking about?" asked Rose. _

"_Am I just not being clear?" smiled Angela. "I want to offer you three a record deal."_

"_What?" I asked. "With who?"_

"_I'm working at Eclipse Records," explained Angela. "Look, I know that you three are going to have a huge career and I'll admit that I'm selfish enough to ride on your coattails. It's pretty simple, I help you, you help me. We all make lots and lots of money and become more famous than Elvis Presley, before the jumpsuit."_

"_Gee, as long as you don't have a hidden agenda, Ang," I teased. Angela laughed and rolled her eyes. _

"_Hey, I'll admit to wanting to make it big here but I also know you three are going to be major players in the music business. I've watched you for four years playing these little shitty ass bars and clubs. It's time for you to decide if you want to be rock stars or karaoke singers," said Angela, leaning back in her seat. _

"_We need to talk to Charlie about this first," I said, looking at Alice and Rose. "This is too important not to talk to him first."_

"_I agree," said Rose. Alice simply nodded her head._

"_Excellent," smiled Angela. "Let me know when he gets into town and we will meet for dinner."_

"_Will do," I said. "Thanks, Ang."_

"_Thank me when you're famous," she laughed. "Now, tell me about those sexy ass boys of yours."_

_(flash)_

"_Mr. Swan, it's so nice to see you again," said Angela, hugging Charlie. We were in front of Antonio's, a small Mexican restaurant._

"_Enough of that Mr. Swan shit, Angela," laughed Charlie. "I think you can call me Charlie now."_

"_Ok, Charlie," smiled Angela. "Well, should we head inside?"_

"_After you beautiful ladies," smiled Charlie._

_We all laughed and headed inside. The hostess, a young girl not much older than my nineteen years, gave Charlie the once over and smiled as she winked at him. He rolled his eyes and shook his head, when I looked back and smirked. We followed her over to a table in the back and ordered our drinks and dinner. Once our waiter left, Charlie sat up in his chair and looked over at Angela._

"_Ok, Miss Weber, tell me about this deal you are wanting to give my girls."_

"_Eclipse and I would like to offer them at least two albums. I think they will be a huge success and will end up making dozens with us but for now, we are going to start with two. I would like to get them into a studio as soon as humanly possible so we can get some tracks down and out onto the radio. I have also been looking into some tour dates for the next few months," explained Angela._

"_What kind of tour?" asked Charlie._

"_Opening for U2 to start with," smiled Angela._

"_Seriously?" I gasped._

"_Yes," laughed Angela. "They are looking for a fresh new band and they loved the demo I gave them. They understand that you are on the fence about signing with us but they were really impressed."_

"_Wow," sighed Alice. "That's awesome."_

"_How do I know that I can trust you with my girls, Angela?" asked Charlie. "I know that I've known you since you were knee high to a grasshopper, Honey, but these are my girls we are talking about."_

"_Charlie, I'm going to be honest with you," said Angela, placing her elbows on the table. "I want your girls. They are going to be huge and I want my taste of them while I can have it. Now, the music business is a fast paced world and things can change in the blink of an eye, but if I didn't have the confidence that your girls were going to rock the world, I wouldn't even offer them anything. Rose, Alice, and Bella are more than just clients to me, they are my friends, sisters almost. I will make sure that they are taken care of, Charlie. What you need to ask yourself is, do you trust me?" _

"_When did you become such a hard ass, Angela?" chuckled Charlie._

"_Learned it all from your girls, Charlie," smirked Angela. "Which means, you must have done something right with them."_

"_Ok," said Charlie, looking back over at me, Rose, and Alice. " Is this what you girls want?"_

"_Yes," we said._

"_Then you should do it," smiled Charlie. "They are offering you a good deal and I know you can handle it. My girls are amazing."_

I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. I was laying in the bed up in mine and Edward's room at Garrett's house. The room was pitch black and even though the clock said it was after midnight, I was completely alone. I climbed out of the bed and went into the bathroom. I looked at myself in the mirror but didn't recognize myself. My dark hair was a tangled mess, my face was paler than normal and stained with my tears. My lips were chapped and my eyes were vacant and expressionless. I looked like a ghost of my former self.

I shook my head and headed out of the bathroom, unable to look at myself anymore. I made my way of out the room and down the hall to the stairs. I could hear everyone talking so I sat on the top of the stairs and just listened, not ready to face them all yet.

"The police have no idea who killed them or how they got into the house. Whoever it was tied them to chairs and tortured them both before they killed them," said Garrett. I could feel my tears falling down my face.

"Like we don't know who killed them," muttered Peter. "Those crazy son of bitches killed them. We all fucking know it."

"It doesn't matter what we know," said Garrett. "The police aren't going to listen to what we have to say. Even if they would. they are going to want proof and we haven't got any."

"I don't understand why anyone would go after Ang and Ben," cried Alice. "They were the nicest two people in the fucking world."

No one said anything else for several minutes. I could hear them as they cried for our friends. Ben and Angela had been a huge part of our lives, all of our lives, for the past few years. We had purposely kept Ben and Angela in the dark about where we were to keep them out of dangers way but it didn't matter. Sam and Phil had gone after them anyway. They were so desperate to get to me that they killed two innocent people just to find me.

"Should we check on her again?" asked Rose.

"She'll come down when she's awake," said Carlisle.

"She's been asleep for several hours, Carlisle," said Alice. "Should we be concerned?"

"No, she's in shock," replied Carlisle. "I'm worried about how much more she can handle."

"Me too," sighed Edward.

I stood up and slowly made my way back to the bedroom I shared with Edward. My friends had been murdered because of me. Phil and Sam had taken two more people for me in their crazy quest to get to me. I stood by the window and looked out at the darkness that surrounded the house. I knew that logically I hadn't killed Ben and Angela, but they were killed because of me. I thought about my family that was sitting downstairs, pouring their grief out over the people who brought us together. If Ben and Angela hadn't taken a chance on us, we never would have met Garrett or Kate, Peter or Charlotte, Laurent, Seth, Felix, or any of the others.

I pulled out a sheet of blank paper from my music book and left a note for Edward, letting my tears fall freely down my face and onto the letter to my husband. I took one last look around before I opened the window and climbed out. I carefully shimmied my way down the drainpipe on the side of the house and tiptoes around to the front of the house. I climbed into the Dodge ram I had driven the other night and started it.

I pulled out of the drive away and flipped the lights on as I pulled on my seat beat and drove away from my family and friends. I turned the car into the interstate and headed back to California. I would find away to stop Phil and Sam from killing anyone else I loved. I would have to do it alone because right now, all I knew was that I couldn't handle losing anyone else I cared about. I just hoped that one day, they would forgive me.

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**Thank you for all the reviews. I know this is a short chapter but it was a pivotal one in the story. **


	30. Chapter 30

EPOV

I slipped away from the table and headed upstairs to check on Bella. She had been out for the last ten hours and I was starting to get worried about her. I pushed the door open but found the bed empty. I went into the bathroom but she wasn't in there either. Dread filled my body as I stepped back into the room. I threw the closest open and found all her clothes still there. I pulled the dresser drawers open and found her clothes still there, too.

I spun around looking for any signs of where she could be. That's when I saw the paper on the table next to the bed. I jumped over the bed and grabbed it. I fell to my knees as I read the words.

**E,**

**I'm sorry but I can't stay here where I put the rest of you at risk. I know you'll hate me but I love you too much to let anything happen to you. I hope that one day, we can be together again but until I stop Phil and Sam, I…**

**Please take care of my sisters for me. They are going to need you, Em, and J more than ever, my love. Make sure you tell Em and J that I'm sorry for not being stronger. Tell Garrett, Kate, and the rest of the team that I regret not leaving Eclipse with them. I hope that one day, they can forgive me. Tell Carlisle thank you for giving me away the night we were married. Tell Esme thank you for being my mom. **

**I love you, Edward. I will always love you. Please, don't forget how much I love you. I hope one day, you will forgive me.**

**Forever yours,**

**B**

"GODDAMN IT!" I yelled. I jumped to my feet and ran down the stairs. Everyone jumped to their feet. "She's fucking gone."

"What?" asked Rose. "Did they get in here?"

"No, she fucking left," I muttered, throwing the paper on the table. Alice picked it up and read it out loud to everyone.

"Stubborn little…" muttered Emmett.

"Where would she go?" asked Esme.

"Back to LA," I whispered. Everyone looked up at me. "She's going to try to draw them out so she can end this."

"So fucking stupid," muttered Garrett.

"I'm leaving," I said.

"No, we are leaving," said Emmett. "We all are going."

"Fine, but we leave now," I demanded.

"Kate, call the airline and see if we can get on the next flight out. We don't know how long ago she left. Everyone else gather up what you need. We are going after her," ordered Garrett.

Half an hour later, we were loaded up in various cars and headed to the closest airport, which was an hour away. Kate had managed to get all of us on the next flight out of Amarillo, Texas. We would have to catch a connecting flight from Dallas back to LA. Hopefully, we would get to her before she did something really stupid.

I know that she's scared. We all were scared of what was going to happen. The last time Phil was close to her, he kidnapped her and left her alone in a cave. Who know what kind of crazy shit he would do to her this time? Sam was even more scary because we didn't know why he was obsessed with her. If they get to her before we do…I can't live without her.

"Hey, we'll get to her in time," said Emmett, placing his hand on my shoulder.

"If we don't…" I shook my head.

"I know, E," whispered Emmett as we pulled up in front of the small airport. "But we will."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

We climbed out of the cars and made our way inside. We checked in for our flights, made our way through security and reached our gate just before they were going to close the doors. We took our seat and buckled our seatbelts on the small eagle jet plane that would take us from Amarillo to Dallas.

An hour later, our plane pulled up to the gate of Dallas/Fort Worth airport. We quickly unloaded off the plane and ran for our connecting flight. Unfortunately, DFW was quite a bit larger and busier than the Amarillo airport so it didn't take long for people to start recognizing us. We were a good forty yards from our gate when a crowd gathered around us.

"Go," ordered Garrett, looking back at me. "We'll hold them back. You get your ass to her as fast as you can but you do not leave your house until we get there. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," I said ."Gar…"

"I know," he said. "Go now."

Garrett, Peter, and the rest of his team pushed the crowd of people back so that me, Jasper, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme could get to our gate. I would owe them even more now. We quickly loaded onto the plane and took our seats in coach as the plane pulled away from the gate. A few minutes later, our plane lifted off and headed toward California.

A few hours later, our plane landed at the airport in Los Angeles. The seven of us made our way off the plane and out to a cab. Because their were so many of us, we had to take two cabs. Twenty minutes later, our cabs pulled up in the driveway of mine and Bella's house in LA. Garrett's black dodge ram pickup was sitting out front of the house.

The seven of us made our way inside the house. I could tell they were all just as pissed off as I was that Bella had left the way she did. The others settled down in the living room while I went upstairs to find Bella. They knew that I needed to talk to her alone for now. I walked down the hall and found Bella sitting in the corner of our room. Her knee were pulled up to her chest and she was clutching one of my shirts to her chest.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I asked. She snapped her head up to me. Her tears were falling freely down her face. Her face was full of pain, grief, and sorrow.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, averting her eyes from mine.

"What the fuck do you think I am doing here?" I snapped, shutting the door behind me. "Do you have any idea how fucking scared I was when I realized you were missing? How could you that to me? How could you do that to your sisters? You three just lost your father and you were ready to take their sister from them."

"I did all of this for you. I did all of this for them," whispered Bella, shaking her head.

"Nothing you did was for us," I snapped. "You didn't think about any of us when you chose to run and put yourself in danger."

"I did what I thought was right," said Bella.

"No, you didn't," I said. "You didn't think before you left. If you had you would have realized all it would do is put all of us in danger. I get that you are scared, B. I'm scared too but you can't just leave me, especially not right now."

"You don't understand," sighed Bella. "They are going to kill you to get to me. They killed Ben and Ang because of me, E. It's all my fault."

"Bella, love, what happened to Ben and Angela was not your fault," I said, sitting on the floor next to her. "Phil and Sam are the only ones to blame. You can't keep taking everything on yourself. You are going to crack under the weight of it all."

"I can't handle it if something happened to you, Edward," cried Bella. "That would destroy me."

"It would kill me if something happened to you, love," I said, letting my tear fall. I pulled Bella into my arms. "Bella, you are my everything. I can't lose you, not even to yourself. Please let us help you."

"You can't help me," cried Bella. "Don't you get it. They were willing to kill innocent people to get to me. If they hurt any of you, I would never be able to forgive myself."

"Bella, I wish I could promise you that everything is going to be ok," I whispered, "but I can't. I'm terrified of losing you. When I saw that you were gone…Baby, you can't leave me like that."

"I was just trying to protect you," whispered Bella. "I'm just so tired of being afraid."

"I know you are," I whispered. "I am too."

"I'm sorry," whispered Bella, laying her head on my chest.

"I know you are," I whispered.

"They're downstairs, aren't they?" asked Bella.

"Yes," I whispered. "Except for Garrett and his team. They stayed behind in Dallas to hold back the crowds so we could make our flight here."

"They're all pretty pissed with me, aren't they?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

"I know," whispered Bella. "Do you hate me now?"

"No, B, I couldn't never hate you," I said, "but I'm pretty mad at you."

"I'm really sorry," said Bella.

"I know, love," I whispered. "I love you, Bella. Just don't ever do that again."

"I love you, too," whispered Bella. "I guess I have to go downstairs and face them, huh?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "But I'll be right next to you."

"Promise?" asked Bella, looking up at me. Her brown eyes were so full of pain.

"I promise, love," I whispered. I leaned down and kissed her softly. "I will always be right next to you."

"Ok, let's get this done with," whispered Bella.

I stood up and pulled her to her feet. I wrapped my arm around her waist and she laid her head on my shoulder as we walked out of our bedroom and downstairs to the living room. Esme and Carlisle were standing by the patio doors. Emmett and Rose were sitting on one sofa while Jasper and Alice were sitting on the other one. All six of them looked up at us and sighed in relief.

"Isabella Marie Cullen, sit your ass down," snapped Esme. Bella and I went over and sat down on the in front of the fireplace. "You know, I would never have expected you to run away, Isabella."

"Bella, we get that you are hurting right now. We get that you are scared because so are we," said Carlisle, blinking back his tears. "But if you ever do anything like this again, I will bend you over my knee and beat your ass, young lady. Do you understand me?"

"Yes," whispered Bella, letting her tears fall freely.

"B, I…" trailed off Rose, letting her tears fall. "If you ever fucking do that again, I will burn your fucking guitar."

"I'll shave your fucking head bald, you got it?" snapped Alice.

"Got it," cried Bella. Alice and Rose both sighed and moved over in front of Bella. "They killed Ang."

"We know," whispered Alice.

"She and Ben didn't know anything and they killed them anyway," cried Bella. "What's to stop them from killing all of you?"

"I don't know," whispered Rose, "but Bella, honey, we have to stick together. I can't lose my baby sister."

"I'm so scared, Rosie," sobbed Bella, falling into Rose and Alice's arms.

"I am too, B," sobbed Rose, rocking Bella back and forth.

"We all are," cried Alice.

We didn't say anything as Rose, Alice, and Bella cried together until Bella cried herself to sleep. I lifted Bella out of their arms and carried her upstairs to our room and laid her on the bed. She clung to me as I laid down next to her and let my own tears fall freely, praying that my family would be safe.

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	31. Chapter 31

**BPOV**

"Where the hell is she?" yelled Garrett, throwing open the door to mine and Edward's room. I sat up and looked over at him. His face was full of rage and anger. His eyes were flashing and I knew he was struggling to control his temper. "GET YOUR ASS DOWNSTAIRS NOW!"

Garrett slammed the door shut behind him. I sighed as I looked over at Edward. He gave me a soft smile but I knew he didn't really feel very sorry for the verbal beating I was about to take. It was my fault for acting so reckless. I knew that and was prepared to accept the consequences of my actions.

Edward and I climbed off the bed and headed downstairs to the living room. As I expected everyone was sitting in the living room waiting for me. Peter was pacing back and forth, ignoring Charlotte's attempts to get him to stop, which meant he was extremely pissed off. Felix, Benjamin, and Demetri were sitting on the large sofa with Tanya, Tia, and Heidi next to them. All six of them glared at me as Edward and I sat down on the hearth of the fireplace. Seth, Jacob, Laurent, and Irina were standing in front of the patio doors. Kate was whispering to Garrett, who kept shaking his head at whatever she told him.

Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme were in the back of the room. They didn't meet my eyes as I looked around at them all. I knew they were still upset with me and I didn't really blame them, but they didn't understand why I ran. I don't even think I really understand why I ran.

"I don't know what the hell you where thinking, Isabella," hissed Peter, breaking the awkward silence. It was never a good sign when Peter called me Isabella. "Do you realize just how stupid it was to run like that?"

"Yes."

"I don't think you do," growled Felix. "We get that you are scared, B, but running away like you did, putting yourself in danger like that, was the stupidest thing you have ever done. What if we hadn't gotten to you in time? What was your plan?"

"I don't know," I muttered.

"Did you even think any about what you put your sisters through?" asked Benjamin, harshly. "They just lost their father, Bella."

"I know that," I said.

"We are working as hard as we can to make sure that they don't get to you, Bella," snapped Demetri. "But it doesn't help us protect you when you go running off trying to be a goddamn saint. You can't do it on your own."

"When he took me to that cave, I thought he was going hurt me," I said, feeling my tears build up in my eyes. I kept my head down, not wanting to see the looks on their faces. "Charlie had already taught us about good touches and bad touches. I thought he was going to…I sat there in that corner while he talked to people who weren't there. All I wanted was my daddy, my sisters, but I was alone with him. When he came over to me, there was a look in his eyes that scared the shit out of me. The way he looked at me…I thought once Charlie had him sent away that he wouldn't be able to hurt me again. Charlie promised that he wouldn't be able to hurt me again. He took Charlie from me."

"He took Charlie from us too, B," cried Rose. I looked up at her. She had tears pouring down her face. "Ali and I lost our father too. That day he took you, we thought we were going to lose our baby sister too. We were terrified but together we over came that and we can do it again, but you have to let us help you."

"He'll kill you, Rosie," I sobbed. Edward slipped his arm around my waist. "He killed Angela and Ben just to find out where I was. They didn't even know where we were and he killed them anyway. If any one of you gets hurt trying to stop them…"

"B, we won't let him get you," said Emmett. He came over and knelt down in front of me, grabbing my hands in his. "You have to let us protect you."

"Em, he tortured Ang and Ben," I cried. "He mutilated them just to get to me."

"We will do everything we can to keep him from you," whispered Emmett.

"B, we are not going to just sit around and let him hurt you," said Jasper, joining me and Emmett. "Please, trust us."

"I do trust you, J," I cried. "I just can't lose you guys too."

"We can't lost you either," whispered Jasper.

"Well, as touching as this is," snapped Garrett, "that doesn't excuse you for running off alone."

"Gar-"

"No, K," snapped Garrett, pulling away from her hand. "B, you don't understand what could have happened to you."

"Yes, I do," I said.

"No, you don't," snapped Peter.

"YES, I DO!" I screamed, standing up causing Emmett and Jasper to fall back on their asses.

"NO, YOU DON'T!" shouted Peter. "You think you are the only one who has ever suffered. You don't know anything about suffering."

"Peter, don't," said Charlotte.

"No, Char, she should know," snapped Peter. "You are lucky to have people around you that love you enough to work this hard for you."

"I know that," I snapped.

"Do you?" he asked, sharply. "Because not all of us were lucky enough to grow up with a father that dealt with assholes on a daily basis to make sure his girls had everything they wanted. Not all of us had people like Carlisle and Esme there to talk to us when we needed someone to bitch and whine too."

"I know," I said, softly. "But it wasn't easy for me either, Peter."

"I'm sure it wasn't, Bella," said Peter. "But you didn't have to learn not to get attached to foster parents because you might have to leave at a moments notice. Or that you never trust anyone because they will take you for all you have just to show you that they can."

"True," I said. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Peter."

"Bella, I am not saying that your fears are not real, cause they are. I wish I could promise that we will be able to stop Phil and Sam from getting to you, but I can't because they have proven to be smart and resourceful. However, I can promise that I will do everything I can to stop them but you have to let me help you," said Peter.

"I'm trying," I whispered. "I'm just scared of losing anyone else."

"I know you are, B," sighed Peter. "We are too. Ben and Ang were a part of our family too."

"They didn't deserve to die," I cried. Peter stepped over to me and pulled me into his arms.

"No, they didn't," whispered Peter.

Peter held me in his arms for several minutes while I cried for Ben and Angela. He was right when he said that they had been a huge part of all our families. They were always the ones who kept us from bickering too much or letting our pride get in the way of doing our jobs. After a few minutes, he kissed my forehead and shifted me into Edward's waiting arms.

"So what do we do now?" asked Felix, breaking the silence.

"Well, we can't very well leave now that the press knows we are back in town," said Emmett.

"The best thing we can do is just try to stay on lock down for a while and see if we can't ride out the attention for awhile," said Garrett.

"No," I said, looking up at everyone. "I'm done hiding."

"B-"

"Gar, I'm done letting them control my life. We can't hide forever and sooner or later, they are going to find us," I sighed. "Besides, I'm going to their funerals."

"No, you're not," snapped Garrett.

"Yes, I am," I said, firmly.

"No, you are not," repeated Garrett, glaring at me.

"Yes, I am," I said, again. "I will be there honoring my friends. I will be there to support their families and I really don't give a fucking shit if you like it or not. Ben and Angela both went to bat for you when you needed them. They dropped everything for us when Charlie was shot and again when he died. Now, it our turn to be there for them. We owe them at least that much."

I stood up and headed down the hallway to mine and Edward's music room. I went over and sat down at the piano and closed my eyes. I let my fingers glide over the keys as I let myself get lost in the music.

"_Ang, we have to stop them from hanging Gar out like this," I griped. Angela leaned back on the couch and looked over at me._

"_Bella, honey, I am trying but Alec is determined to make an example of Garrett," sighed Angela. "Ben and I are going to the board tomorrow to appeal to them and hopefully, we can stop this shit now."_

"_It's not right," I huffed, going over and looking out the window. "Gar was doing the best he could. What happened with Derek was not Gar's fault, or anyone on his team for that matter."_

"_I know, Bella," said Angela, closing her eyes. "Sometimes, I think it would be better just to quit and open my own label."_

"_Seriously?" I asked, turning back to her. She opened her eyes and looked over at me. _

"_Yeah," she said. "Ben and I have been entertaining the idea for while but I don't know if we have enough clout in town to be able to do it, you know?"_

"_I think you do," I smiled. "Twilight would be more than happy to switch labels."_

"_Like Eclipse is going to let you out of your contract," snorted Angela. I went over and sat down next to her on the couch. "You know, sometimes I look at that place and I see how much it has changed since Alec took over, and I can't help but wonder if this has been worth it. When I first started there, they were a family and treated everyone like so, but now all they care about is milking as much as they can out of all of us. Maybe it was a mistake getting involved with them."_

"You're right," said Garrett, shaking me out of my memories. I stopped playing and looked over at him. "Ben and Angela were great people, B. They were always willing to stand up and fight for us, and it's time we do something for them. I just wish…"

"Me too," I whispered, turning back to the piano. "Maybe we should have insisted that they come with us."

"They wouldn't have," said Garrett, coming over and sitting down next to me. I laid my head on his shoulder. "They would have said that we needed them there to keep the label off your asses."

"Probably," I cried, softly. Garrett wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"They called me after Charlie was shot," whispered Garrett. "They told me that you needed me but I told them that they could go to hell. I told them that you weren't my problem anymore. I should have come to you then."

"We all made bad decisions, Gar. Rosie, Ali, and I should have told the label to go to hell when they fired you. We should have insisted on staying with Charlie after he was shot," I cried. I could feel Garrett's shoulder's shaking as he cried with me.

"You had to do what was right for your careers," whispered Garrett.

" I don't know what I want anymore," I whispered.

"You'll figure it out," said Garrett. "Eventually, you will figure it out."

"I hope so," I sighed.

Garrett kissed my forehead before he got up and left me alone. I played my piano for a while longer before I went back out to the living room and joined the others. I climbed in Edward's lap and laid my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me as I fell asleep listening to our family talking around us.

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	32. Chapter 32

"B, you ready?" asked Edward, coming back into our room. I turned away from in the window that overlooked the backyard. The sun was shining brightly today, almost mocking the mood in the house.

"As ready as I will ever be," I sighed.

I went over and took the hand he was offering me before we made our way downstairs to where the rest of our friends and family were waiting for us. The women were all wearing black dresses and the men were all wearing black suits. Today, we would be there when they buried Ben and Angela.

None of us said anything as we made our way out to the cars. Edward and I climbed into the car with Garrett, Kate, Peter, and Charlotte while the others all divided up with the other members of our security team. The drive to the church was silent and tense.

Peter and Garrett, as well as the rest of their team, had tried to talk me out of going to their funerals but I held strong and insisted that we go. Rose and Alice agreed with me and eventually Emmett, Jasper, and Edward took our side. Carlisle and Esme were both reluctant to let us go as well but I think it was more to do with their fear that I would run again. They both had been standoffish over the past few days.

Garrett pulled the car up in front of the church and came around and opened my door for me. Edward and I climbed out of the car and quickly followed Garrett and Peter into the church, ignoring the reporters and photographers as they shouted out their questions or snapped our pictures. So much for honoring the memory of Ben and Angela.

We made our way into the church and took our seats. Edward slipped his arm around my shoulder. I could already feel my tears threatening to spill over as I looked at the two closed caskets in the front of the church. A few minutes after we took our seats, I saw Alec Bowden come in with a trashy looking blond on his arm. He met my eyes and smiled his creepy smile before he turned and took his seat.

I turned away from him and watched as the last few people showed up, including Aro Volturi, the new president of Eclipse records, and a dozen other musicians, producers, actors, and directors, including James Stevens. He looked over at me and started to smile but he either remember why were here or that I hated him and managed to stop the smile from completely spreading on his face as he took his seat.

A few minutes later, the organist started playing and Ben and Angela's parents came in with the rest of their families. Reverend Weber was practically carrying Mrs. Weber down the isle. I could see her body shaking as her sobs rocked through her. Mrs. Cheney was clinging to Mr. Cheney much the same way. Behind them, Angela's twin brothers, Mark and David, followed. They were barely seventeen, though right now they looked much older.

I could feel my tears falling down my face as they took their seats in the front of the church. I could feel their pain and I knew it was my fault. Rose grabbed my hand gently in hers. I turned and looked at her. She also had tears pouring down her face. She squeezed my hand again as if she was reading my mind and was telling me it wasn't my fault but I knew it was. It was all my fault.

"Today is a very sad day for all of us," said the reverend as he stepped up to the podium. "Ben and Angela Cheney were two of the most caring and generous people I had ever met. They both made time in their busy schedules to come help with our soup kitchen, they volunteers as mentors in our teen outreach center, and freely gave to helping our church improve our ministry…"

I tuned him out as he continued on about what great people Ben and Angela were. Anyone who knew them already knew that they were the most generous, caring, loving people. They loved each other so much.

"_Bella, you have to be my maid of honor," whined Angela. She and I were sitting in her living room going through the hundred bridal magazines that littered her coffee table._

"_Why me, Ang?" I asked, shaking my head. "Ali is more the maid of honor type."_

"_Because you are my best friend, Bella. You were the only person in our class who believed that I could come to LA and make something of myself. I love Alice and Rose but I want you to be my maid of honor," begged Angela._

"_Fine," I sighed. "But I am not wearing anything with ruffles, lace, or has the name baby in the color."_

"_I was thinking black satin," smirked Angela, moving from the floor to the couch. "Maybe something sexy that would make Edward drool, more than he already does, anyway."_

"_Oh, I likey," I smiled. I went over and joined Angela on the couch. "I'm really happy for you and Ben, Angie."_

"_Thanks, Bella" she sighed. "I love him so much. Who would have thought that all those years in Forks he had a crush on me just like I had on him?"_

"_I think we all knew that," I laughed. "He's a good man and I know you two will be happy together."_

"_I think we will be too," smiled Angela._

Edward tugged on my arm and I shook my head softly, pulling myself out of my memories. I stood up next to him as the pallbearers carried Ben and Angela out of the church. Their families followed them out. We made our way out after them and climbed into our cars and headed off to the cemetery, where we would say our final goodbyes to our friends.

A few minutes later, we climbed out of our cars and joined the crowd around Ben and Angela's final resting spot. The reverend read a few more scriptures and said another prayer before They lowered Ben and Angela into the ground. Edward kept his arm around my waist as we went over and dropped our lilies on top of their caskets.

"Ben, Ang, I love you both. Thank you for being our friends," I cried.

"We will miss you both so much," whispered Edward, through his own tears.

We made our way over to the side to wait for our family as they all said their own goodbyes to Ben and Angela. We didn't need to say anything as we let our tears fall. For the second time in matter of weeks I was saying goodbye to someone I loved.

"Isabella, I am sorry for your loss," said James, coming up to me and Edward. "Ben and Angela were great people."

"Yes, they were," I whispered.

"I wanted to apologize for being such a jerk when your father was shot. I should have been more understanding," frowned James. "I'm truly sorry."

"Thank you, I guess," I said.

James made his way over to Rose and Alice and apologized to the both of them. They seemed to be shocked that the great James Stevens would actually apologize for being a jerk to us. Who knew if he really was sorry but right now I didn't really care. I had enough on my mind without adding his guilt or whatever to it.

"Bella," whispered Reverend Weber. Edward and I turned to see him, Mrs. Weber, and Mr. and Mrs. Cheney standing behind me.

"I am so sorry," I sobbed. "I wish…"

"We know," cried Mrs. Weber. "Angela loved all of you so much, Sweetheart. She and Ben were always telling us stories from your tours."

"We, um, just wanted to thank you for loving our kids so much," cried Mrs. Cheney.

"It was easy to love Ben and Angela," I sobbed. "They were the best people I had ever known. I'm just so sorry."

"It's not your fault, Bella," whispered Reverend Weber.

"I…" I cried, pulling away from Edward's arms and ran from them. Edward ran after me and pulled me into his arms. "No, let me go."

"B, it is not your fault, love," whispered Edward, tightening his arms around me. "Please, love, don't run from me again."

" I just want everyone they've stole from me back, E," I sobbed as my knees buckled. Edward lifted me in his arms.

"Me too," he whispered.

"GET THE FUCK OUT HERE," yelled Garrett. Edward and I turned around and saw Peter and Demetri holding Garret back from lunging at Alec Bowden. "YOU HAVE A LOT OF FUCKING NERVE COMING HERE."

"ME," snapped Alec, fighting against Felix and Seth's embraces. "YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING HERE. YOU'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING BUT PUT THESE PEOPLE IN DANGER."

"EVERYONE SHUT THE FUCK UP," I screamed. They all looked around at me. "Angela and Ben deserve better than this from all of you. How dare either of you disrespect them like this?"

"Isabella-" started Alec.

"No," I snapped. "Angela and Ben hated you, Alec. They thought you were the scum of the earth. You did nothing but try to get them out of Eclipse since the day you started there. You are nothing more than a load of shit for even thinking you belonged here."

"Garrett, you should have more respect for Ben and Angela than this," snapped Rose.

"They both did more for you than you will ever realize," snapped Alice. "I can't believe you would act like this at all. You all disgust me."

Rose and Alice came over to me and pulled me from Edward's arms into theirs. We walked away from the others, leaving them staring at us. They had some nerve to come here and bring up that shit. Ben and Angela deserved better than that. Rose, Alice, and I sat down on a stone bench about a hundred yards from the others.

"We saw The Weber's and The Cheney's speaking to you," whispered Rose.

"They thanked me for being Ben and Ang's friends," I said. "Can you believe that? I just stood there thinking that if it wasn't for me they wouldn't be dead. How can I ever look them in the eye again?"

"B, it is not your fault," said Alice.

"Uh," grunted Rose before she fell to the ground.

"Ah," cried Alice, falling down next to her.

I jumped to my feet and spun around. Phil and Sam were standing less than a foot from me. I turned to run but Phil threw his arms around me and pulled me to the ground.

"HE-"

Phil slammed his hand over my mouth as he pulled me back up. He turned me so that I was facing Sam, who was kneeling down next to Rose and Alice as they laid on the ground unconscious. He looked up at me and smirked as he pulled out a long, silver knife. My eyes went wide with horror as he shoved the knife into Rose's stomach. I screamed against the hand over my mouth as I fought to get free. Sam pulled the knife from Rose's body and shoved it into Alice's body. I could feel my tears fall down my face as I watched my sisters laying on the ground, bleeding.

"It's ok, my Beautiful Swan," whispered Phil, leaning down to my ear. "I'll keep you safe now."

"Let's go," ordered Sam. Phil carried me over to their van and laid me inside. Sam pulled out a syringe filled with something. "This won't hurt you, Isabella."

He gripped my arm tightly in his making it impossible for me to move my arm before he stuck the syringe in my arm and pumped the drug into my system. He recapped the syringe and climbed into the drivers seat. He pulled away from my family as my eyes dropped to a close. I prayed that this would not be the last time I saw them.

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	33. Chapter 33

EPOV

"I can't believe you would be like this now, Gar," I hissed. "Here of all places."

"I'm sorry, E," whispered Garrett. "I just got so mad seeing him here. Then he started making comments about K… I was wrong."

"Yes, you were," I muttered. "But we all want to beat that asshole's ass."

"Where are the girls?" asked Emmett, pulling on my shoulder.

"They were just over…there…" I trailed off, when I looked over to where they were and saw nothing. I had a bad feeling about this.

I took off running with Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, Peter, and their team following. I was frantically looking around for them but I couldn't see any of them. Where had they gone? We ran about ten more yards when I saw them. Alice and Rose were crumpled on the ground. Rose and Alice, but no Bella.

"DAD!" I yelled, dropping to my knees between them. They both had blood seeping out of their stomachs. "DAD!"

"Rosie. ROSIE!" screamed Emmett, falling to his knees next to her. "ROSIE, WAKE UP, BABY! DAD!"

"ALI," cried Jasper, cradling her in his arms. "ALICE, BABY, WAKE UP."

"Oh, dear god," gasped Carlisle, coming up to us. "Esme, call 911. We have to get their bleeding stopped."

"BELLA!" I screamed, jumping up to my feet and looking around. "BELLA, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Gone," gasped Rose. I turned back to her. She was barely awake. I knelt down next to her. "Got her…Couldn't help…"

"Rose, stay with me," cried Emmett, gripping her tightly to him. "Baby, please don't leave me."

I wasn't even sure who it was but someone pulled me away from Rose and Alice as the ambulance showed up. The crowd from the funeral had gathered around us. I could hear the whispers already. Rosalie and Alice Swan had been stabbed while their baby sister, Isabella, had been kidnapped. I felt someone wrap their arms around me and I looked to see my mother holding me. She had tears pouring down her face as we watched Carlisle and the paramedics working to save the lives of my sisters. Marriage or not, Rose and Alice were my sisters.

"Laurent, get back to the house and start tracking her," ordered Garrett.

"On it," said Laurent, turning and running back to one of the cars with Felix following him. Garrett came over and knelt down next to me.

"Come on, E," he whispered. "Lets get to the hospital."

"How are you tracking her?" I asked as he pulled me to my feet.

"I, um, implanted a GPS device in her shoe," muttered Garrett. "I know she hates them but I couldn't let her come here today without making sure we were covered."

"Please find her," I whispered through my tears.

"I will," whispered Garrett.

The ambulance pulled away with Rose, Alice, Emmet, Jasper, and Carlisle inside. Somehow, I let Esme pull me through the crowd around us toward the car. They parted the way for us, whispering to themselves. Well, mostly whispering to themselves.

"Those little bitches got just what they deserved," snickered Alec Bowden.

I stopped and looked back at him. He was facing the tramp he had brought to the funeral. He looked back over at me just as my fist connected with his face. He fell to the ground and I pounced on him, throwing my fist into his face over and over again. I could barely hear Esme screaming at me to stop or the many other people who were screaming.

"EDWARD, STOP," ordered Garrett, as he, Peter, and Demetri pulled me off of him.

"FUCKING LET ME GO," I yelled, fighting against them. "I'LL TEACH HIM TALK ABOUT THEM LIKE THAT. STUPID MOTHERFUCKING ASSHOLE."

"EDWARD, STOP IT!" screamed Esme. I stopped fighting against the men who were holding me back..

"He said they deserved it," I seethed, my blood was course through my veins. "No one deserves what they've been through. NO ONE!"

"Esme, get him out of here," snapped Garrett, pushing me into my mother's arms.

"Nobody deserves that," I growled.

"Come on, Edward," whispered Esme, pulling me to the car. "Let's get to the hospital."

I didn't say anything as I let her drag me over to the car. I climbed into the front seat and looked over to see Garret, Peter, and Demetri hosting a bloody Alec up to his feet. Garrett said something to him before he threw his fist into this gut and they threw him back onto the ground. The three of them came over to the car and jumped into the backseat.

"Let's go," muttered Garrett.

I looked back over to where Alec was still laying on the ground as everyone walked past him and his tramp. In this moment, he had lost any respect that anyone had left for him at all. Esme started the car and headed out of the cemetery and toward the hospital.

Ten minutes later, she pulled the car up to the doors of the ER. Garrett, Peter, and I climbed out of the car and headed inside while Esme and Demetri went to park the car. The reporters who had been surrounding the cemetery had followed the ambulances to the hospital, making it very difficult to push our way inside.

We finally made our way thought the vultures and found Emmett, Jasper, and Carlisle sitting in the waiting room. I went over and sat down next to them. They both looked up at me and I saw the fear of losing their wives, their lovers in their eyes.

"How are they?" I asked.

"We don't know. They wouldn't let me back there with them," muttered Carlisle, looking over at me. "What did you do to your hand?"

"Beat the shit out of Alec Bowden," I said, proudly.

"Why?" asked Emmett.

"He said they deserved this," I muttered, grimly as Esme and Demetri made it in.

"Son of a bitch," growled Emmett. "I hope you beat his ass good."

"Cause if you didn't, I will," muttered Jasper.

"Oh, he did," scoffed Garrett. "Pretty sure he broke his nose and possibly a cheek bone."

"Does your hand hurt?" asked Carlisle, moving over to in front of me.

"A little," I admitted. Carlisle pulled my hand into his and started examining it.

"I think you broke it," he sighed. "Come on, let's go get you a cast."

"I'm fine," I said, pulling my hand from his.

"Humor me," snapped Carlisle. I could that he needed to do this. He needed to feel less helpless right now.

"Ok, Dad," I whispered.

I followed Carlisle over to the triage desk. He informed the triage nurse that he would be take me back and getting hand x-rayed and fitted with a cast. She opened her mouth to argue but must have seen the same look on his face that I did. She just nodded her head and motioned for us to go back.

Carlisle had them x-ray my hand and I did indeed have a break, three of them in fact. Carlisle thanked the tech and led me out to an exam room. I sat up on the table while he silently pulled out everything he needed for my cast. He pulled up his stool and started working on the cast. The silence was deafening.

"Do you think they will find her?" I whispered. Carlisle paused and looked up at me. His eyes were full of fear and sorrow.

"I don't know," he said, letting a tear fall from his eye. "Garrett, Peter, and the rest of them are the best I've ever seen but…"

"If I lose her…" I shook my head, shaking my tears free from my eyes.

"I know," sighed Carlisle, going back to my cast. "You know when you and Bella were little, the two of you would get lost in your own world. Whether you were playing with the others, reading, or whatever. As you two got older, Charlie, Esme, and I could see that you loved each other but we couldn't say anything to either of you because you are both so fucking stubborn. We knew you had to figure it out for yourselves. Finally, you did and we were so happy for the both of you. Over the years, we saw how you both fought for each other, your careers, your brothers and sisters. You two may be the youngest, but Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice all looked to you and Bella to lead them."

" I love her so much, Dad," I cried. Carlisle stood up and wrapped his arms around me. "She's my everything. She's my life, my music, my reason for living. I can't lose her."

"I know, Edward," whispered Carlisle, holding me while I cried into his shirt. "Let's pray that you don't."

I cried into Carlisle's shirt for a few more minutes before I was able to stop my tears completely. Carlisle finished putting my cast on and we headed back out to the others. They still hadn't heard anything about Rose or Alice so we just sat down and waited. Garret and Peter were in the corner talking to a couple of FBI agents from the LA office.

We had been sitting there in the waiting room for nearly five hours before the a young doctor came from the ER. We all tensed up as he took the seat next across from Emmett and Jasper. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"I'm Dr. Winston. We were able to stabilize both girls before we took them to the OR. The knife lacerated Alice's spleen and we had to remove it. She will be fine but we will be watching her for the next several days to make sure she doesn't get any infections," explained Dr. Winston.

"Oh, thank god," murmured Jasper, putting his head in his hands.

"What about Rose?" asked Emmett.

"Did you know she was pregnant?" asked Dr. Winston. We all looked over at Emmett.

"No," he whispered. "What do you mean was?"

"The knife wound punctured her uterus. We tried to stop the bleeding and repair the damage but we were unable to. We had to perform a full hysterectomy on her," said Dr. Winston.

"Is she going to be ok?" cried Emmett. I laid my hand on his shoulder.

"She'll be fine," said Dr. Winston.

"Then that's all that matters," mumbled Emmett.

"They are both in the recovery room right now but they will be moved up to ICU in about half an hour. I've arranged for them to be in the same room. I figured it would be easier for your security team to watch over them," explained Dr. Winston.

"Thank you," I said.

"Look, I hate to bring this up but the hospital has been bombarded with phone calls from the press. How would you like us to handle this?" asked Dr. Winston.

"For now, let's keep this under wraps. You can confirm that both girls are here but let's not let out any details," said Garrett.

"Ok," said Dr. Winston, standing up. "If you need anything, please let me know."

"Thank you," sighed Esme.

We stayed down in the ER for about twenty more minutes before we headed up to the Intense Care Unit. We were lead straight back to the girls' room. They were both laying on the bed with tubes running into their bodies. Emmet and Jasper made a beeline to their wives and started kissing on them.

I felt the spike of jealously that they got to hold their wives hands while mine was still missing. I turned and headed back out into the hall. I couldn't handle seeing them like that knowing that Bella was in the hands if two crazed killers. I found a seat outside of their rooms and buried my face in my hands. What were they doing to her right now?

"We've got her," said Garrett, coming out of Rose and Alice's room with his cell phone up to his ear. He looked down at me. "We know where she's at. Let's go get her."

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**Thank you for all the reviews. Don't hate me for the cliffy!! I know, I'm mean, evil, and there will be lots of pain if I don't upstate soon. **


	34. Chapter 34

**SAM'S POV**

I pulled the van behind the large abandoned house Phil and I had found in the hills. The view to the house was blocked by the trees so we would have plenty of privacy. Plus, no one lived within a mile around us in every direction so our little Swan could scream and cry as much as she wanted and nobody would hear her. I personally hoped she screamed a lot. It certainly would make our time together much more fun.

"Take her to her room and make sure you lock the door," I ordered Phil.

"Ok," he whispered, lifting Bella up off the floor of the van. She flopped around like a rag doll.

I followed him into the house, locking the backdoor behind us. Phil took her up the stairs while I headed into the living room and waited for him to come down. Phil came back down a few minutes later and wrapped his arms around me from behind. I turned my head and kissed him softy.

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"Well, we have to wait for her to wake up, so I guess we can…play for awhile," I smiled. Phil blushed and buried his face in my neck. "I love the way you blush for me still."

"I know," he muttered. I turned in his arms and wrapped mine around his shoulders.

"You did good today, Baby," I whispered.

"I don't like that we had to kill them," whispered Phil.

"I know, Babe, but we talked about that," I said, kissing his neck. "They would have stopped us from getting her. She belongs here with us, remember?"

"I remember," muttered Phil, smiling up at me. "Let's go play."

An hour later, I slipped out of our bed and pulled my boxers and pants back on. I left Phil laying naked on our bed. I made my way into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. As much as I loved that man, I loved my Beautiful Swan more. I was afraid that he was just going to get in the way and I couldn't let that happen.

Phil is certainly the most handsome man I had ever known, and he knew how to use his mouth, but he's crazier than poodle on crack. When I met Phil in that fucking hospital thirteen years ago, I thought he was off his rocker. He would sit in the corner of his room talking to his 'NeNe' and 'Maria' for hours. Clearly he was a nutcase, but then he started talking about her. Isabella. His beautiful angel sent to save him. He used to draw pictures of her and fuck, she was beautiful. I knew that I had to have her.

So I did what anyone would do, I played nice with the crazy man. I pretended to be his friend. The only friend a nutcase like him was ever going to get. As irritating as it was, I listened him rambling on and on about the angels and the demons. Eventually, I found myself really starting to care about him, to love him and our Beautiful Swan. So when it was time for me to quit, I promised to go to Forks and 'protect' his little angel, and I did, but I really went there to see her for myself. His painting were nothing compared to the real thing.

She was beyond beautiful. She was pure and natural. As I watched her with her little…friends, I saw that she was sweet and kind. I wanted her, all of her. The only problem was how to get to her. Her…father was so protective of his girls. I knew that Phil was to blame for that. After his little stunt, Charlie barely left his girls alone, and when he did, he left them with the Cullen's. So I did what anyone would do, I got into bed with the enemy, so to speak. I took a fucking job at the police station and tried to get in with Charlie. He never was very friendly with me, though.

As hard as it was, I knew I had to bide my time. I had to be patient and wait for the opportunity to present itself. I watched her from a distance. I watched as she let that boy touch her on the beach that night. It took everything I had not to go down there and rip his head off and take her right then. She was mine and I would have her.

I continued to watch as she and the boy let Forks and moved to LA. What she sees in this place is beyond me. I watched as she became America's sweetheart. I was fixing to make my move when Phil found me. He had finally managed to get out that nut house and tracked me down while I was in LA watching my girl. We made our plan that night to get her.

We knew that Charlie was the key to getting her to come to us. Luring him to his death was easier than it should have been for a man as smart as he was. Shooting him, watching him laying on the ground with blood pouring from his chest, was gratifying. Knowing that I was getting closer to my Bella, was orgasmic. That was the first night that Phil and I were together, sexually. I really couldn't help it. I needed a release and he was all too willing to give it to me. The feeling of his body under mine as I took him roughly was beyond anything I could imagine, except imagining what it will feel like to be inside of her.

We waited for Bella to come back to her dying father, and she did, but she left before we could get to her. Poor Phil felt the result of my rage that day. He took his beating like a man, though. We regrouped and made a new plan. I knew that eventually Bella would come back to visit her father. When that day came, we would have to be prepared.

I washed my face and went back out to the bedroom. Phil had rolled from his stomach to his back. _He is a sexy man_, I thought to myself. I sighed as I made my way downstairs and grabbed a beer from the fridge. I drank it quickly while I flipped through the TV. So far the press wasn't reporting much about Bella's kidnapping or the attack on her sisters Hmm, that was a surprise. I figured they would be flashing it all over the news by now.

I shook my head and headed back upstairs. I peeked into mine and Phil's room. He was still sleeping. I closed the door behind me and made my way down the hallway to Bella's room. I opened the door and walked inside. She was sitting in the corner of her room with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"Hello, my beautiful Swan," I smiled, shutting the door behind me. "How are you feeling?"

"How am I supposed to be feeling?" She snapped.

"I know you are…upset with us, but we love you, Angel," I said, smiling as I walked around her room. She followed me with her eyes.

"You don't love me," she muttered. I stopped and looked over at her.

"Oh, but I do," I said, firmly. I went over to her and pulled her to her feet.

"LET ME GO," she screamed.

"I can't," I whispered, throwing her on the bed. I pinned her down as I straddled her waist. "You don't know what you do to me, my Beautiful Swan."

"Please let me go," she cried, struggling underneath me.

"I can't," I whispered. I leaned down and kissed her. She screamed and dug her nails into the back of my hand. I sat up and backhanded her. "DON'T BE DIFFICULT."

"I will never let you have me," she snapped, kicking her leg up and hitting me in the back of the head.

"YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCH," I snapped, slamming my fist into her face over and over.

"Babe, stop," cried Phil. I turned and saw him standing in the doorway to the room. He quickly shut the door behind him and locked it. "You can't hurt her. She's my angel."

"I'm sorry, my love," I said, climbing off of Bella. I smiled as I went over and pulled him into my arms and kissed him. "I got carried away."

"She's my angel, Sam. NeNe told me she was sent here to protect me," whispered Phil.

"I know, Phil," I whispered, sliding my hands onto the side of his head. "But now she's mine. I won't share her with anyone, not even you, my love."

"What-"

He started to speak but I slid my hands so that my right hand was over his mouth and my left hand was on the back of his head. His eyes widen as I twisted his head and snapped his neck. I let go of his head and his body crumpled to the floor, with his lifeless eyes staring into the distance. I closed my eyes for a moment to help myself regain some control and turned back to Bella.

"Now, where were we?"

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**Thank you for all the reviews. I know this chapter is super short but it was creepy on so many levels!!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Ok, so this chapter is dark and quite graphic. You have been warned. -butterflybetty**

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**BPOV**

My eyes felt like they were glued shut as I slowly tried to pry them opened them. I looked around confused on where I was. It looked like my room back in Forks but I knew it wasn't. This room was smaller than my room back at Charlie's house.

I slid off the bed and went over and tried to pull the door open but it was locked. I felt the panic rise inside of me as I turned and looked around the room. I ran over the window and threw the curtains open but there were bars on the window. I slid to the ground as my tears spilled down my face. I was trapped in a house with two madmen.

I crawled into the corner and pulled my knees up to my chest. Flashes of my sisters laying on the ground, bleeding to death passed through my mind. I choked back my sob as I thought about my sisters needing me and only I wasn't there to save them. Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme's faces passed through my mind, their grief over losing two more parts of their family. Would they ever forgive me for insisting that we attend the funerals? Finally, Edward's face passed through my mind and I felt my heartbreak at the thought of never seeing my best friend, the love of my life, again.

The door to my prison opened and I looked up from my knees to see Sam coming in. He looked around and saw me sitting in the corner. His eyes raked over me and I felt nauseous.

"Hello, my beautiful Swan," Sam smiled, shutting the door behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"How am I supposed to be feeling?" I snapped. There was a look in his eye that was disturbing.

"I know you are…upset with us, but we love you, Angel," said, Sam, walking around my prison.

"You don't love me," I muttered. He stopped and looked over at me. His eyes flashed with…anger?

"Oh, but I do," said Sam. He came over to me and grabbed my arms, dragging me to my feet. Pain shot up my arms from the tight grip he had on them.

"LET ME GO," I screamed.

"I can't," Sam whispered, throwing me on the bed. He climbed on me, pinning my arms down. My entire body was shaking with fear. "You don't know what you do to me, my Beautiful Swan."

"Please let me go," I cried, trying to get him off of me.

"I can't," whispered Sam. He leaned down and kissed me. I thought I would throw up from the feeling of his lips on mine. I screamed and dug my nails into the back of his hand. Sam bolted up and brought the back of his hand down onto my face. "DON'T BE DIFFICULT."

"I will never let you have me," I snapped, kicking my leg up and hitting him in the back of the head.

"YOU STUPID LITTLE BITCH," Sam snapped, slamming his fist into my face over and over. I heard and felt my nose break. I could taste the blood in my mouth. The weight of his hand coming down on me felt like a ton of bricks slamming into me over and over.

"Babe, stop," cried Phil. Sam stopped hitting me and snapped his head over to the door. Bile rose in my throat as I looked at my so called uncle for the first time since he left me in that cave. "You can't hurt her. She's my angel."

"I'm sorry, my love," said Sam, climbing off of me. I scrambled off the bed and crutched down in the corner as Sam went over to Phil and kissed him. "I got carried away."

"She's my angel, Sam. NeNe told me she was sent here to protect me," whispered Phil. _Goddamn, crazy people._

"I know, Phil," Sam whispered, sliding his hands onto the side of Phil's head. "But now she's mine. I won't share her with anyone, not even you, my love."

"What-"

I watched in horror as Sam slid his hands around on Phil's head and broke his neck. He dropped Phil to the ground like he was nothing more than a rag doll. I could hear the scream inside of my head but I couldn't get it to come out of my mouth. All I could see in this moment was Phil laying dead on the floor, staring at me.

Sam turned around and looked at me. His face no longer held any pretense of pleasantries. His eyes were cold, dark, and full of malice and enjoyment. I could feel my body shake as I realized that not only was he planning on hurting me, but he planned on hurting me slowly and painfully. He was excited by my fear, it turned him on. He was way crazier than Phil ever was and I knew I was would be lucky to live through the night. _God, please let them find me_, I thought.

"Now, where were we?" asked Sam.

"HELP ME!" I screamed. "SOMEBODY, PLEASE HELP ME."

"Nobody can hear you," smirked Sam, grabbing my arms and throwing me back onto the bed.

"Please don't hurt me," I cried.

"I don't want to hurt you, Beautiful," lied Sam. I knew he was lying. He knew I knew he was lying. "I love you, Isabella."

"Please just let me go," I begged. Sam's eyes closed as his grip on my arms tightened.

"I will never let you go," he growled. His eyes opened and I knew I was in trouble. "NEVER."

Sam ripped my dress down the middle, tearing it off my arms violently. I tried to hit him but he pinned my arms down over my head with one of his large hands. He brought his hand back down and backhanded me. I stifled my cry, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of hearing me cry. He climbed on top of me and pulled my arms straight up above me. I felt him tie my hands to the bed with some kind of wire. I could feel it cutting into my wrists.

I brought my leg up and kicked him in the back of the head again. Sam growled as he punched me in the chest. My breath caught as I struggled to bring air in and out of my body. Sam hit me several more times in the chest and stomach. Searing pain filled my chest and I was certain that he broke at least one of my ribs under his iron fists. All I could do was lay there as Sam tired my feet to the posts of the bed.

I let my tears fall, but they fell silently. Sam climbed off the bed and looked down at me. The smile on his face was disgusting, nauseating, and repulsive. He looked at me for a few minutes before he turned and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I sobbed violently as I pulled against the binds that held me down on the bed but it didn't do any good. I was stuck at the mercy of a madman.

Sam came back into my prison a few minutes later. He had a video camera in his hands. He set the camera on top of the dresser and came back over to me. He smiled as he ran his hand down the front of my body. I cringed causing him to laugh.

"Oh, I am so going to enjoy this," he mused.

He reached behind him and pulled out the same knife that he had used on Rose and Alice. I could feel my body shaking as he brought the knife down and slipped it under the sides of my panties. He pulled up and easily cut through the thin silk. He moved to the other side and did the same thing. He reaches down, letting his fingers graze the outside of my lower body and pulled the panties off of my body.

"You don't have to do this," I whispered, through my tears.

"I know I don't," said Sam, slipping the knife under the front of my bra and cutting. He cut through the straps on my shoulders and pulled it off of me leaving me completely naked. "I know I don't to do anything to you, Isabella, but I want to. Don't you get it. You. Are. Mine."

"I will never be yours," I cried. "You may take my body but you will never take my soul."

"I don't need your fucking soul," he growled. He stripped off his pants and boxers, leaving him completely naked. I averted my eyes, not wanting to see him. He grabbed my face and pulled it toward him. "Look at me, you little whore."

"NO!" I screamed, closing my eyes.

"LOOK AT ME!" he screamed, punching me the stomach again.

I gasped for air, desperately trying to breathe. I reluctantly opened my eyes and looked at him. He climbed onto the bed and settled in between my legs. He started stroking himself and I could take the bile in my throat.

"You are so beautiful. I love to watch you move on the stage. You sway your hips seductively at me. The way you smile or wink. The first time I saw you, I knew I had to have you," he murmured, running the knife around the outline of my breast. He pressed down and cut into my right breast.

I clamped my mouth shut, trying not to scream. Screaming would just egg him on. My body was radiating with pain from the blows he had already planted on my body. He slid the knife down my body, pressing down and cutting me, until he reached the apex between my legs and I couldn't stop the strangled sob that escaped from my lips.

"That's it, Angel," he mused. "Cry for me."

He moved his fingers from around his erection and roughly thrust them into me. I clenched my mouth shut again, struggling not to beg him to stop. He smirked as he pulled his fingers out of me. He leaned over so that he was hovering over me. His hand with the knife was planted on the mattress next to my head so that the blade was against my throat. My tears were falling freely as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine and thrust into me hard.

"AHHHHH," I screamed, thrashing against him. "NOOOOOOOOO."

"SCREAM FOR ME, ANGEL," he roared, pulled out and slamming back into me.

"STOP, PLEASE STOP!" I screamed.

He laughed as he forced himself into me over and over. No matter how much I cried, he never stopped. No matter how much I screamed, he never slowed down. No matter how much I begged him to stopped, he just kept going. I could feel my body tearing from his forceful invasion.

Suddenly, the door to the room was thrown open. Sam snapped his head over and saw Edward, Garrett, Peter, and the rest of their team coming busting into the room. All of their eyes flew open when they saw him raping me. Sam smirked as he pressed the knife down onto my throat, cutting into me.

Garrett flew across the room as he threw him off of me and slammed Sam onto the ground. Peter, Felix, and Edward came over and pulled my hands and feet free. Edward pulled me into his arms and begged me to hold on as I faded into the darkness.

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**Ok, so I know what you are thinking. How can I be so mean and evil? I really don't have an excuse so I am just going to say this, I'm sorry for leaving yet another cliffy and putting Bella through hell…**


	36. Chapter 36

**EPOV**

Ten minutes later, Garrett, Peter, Demetri, Laurent, Benjamin, Seth, and I pull up the car in front of an old abandoned house. Laurent and Felix pulled up right behind us and we all got our. The house was shabby and run-down.

"Ok, Laurent, Benjamin, Seth, and Felix go around to the back with them. The rest of us are going in through the front. Be as quiet as you can be. These fuckers are crazy and will not hesitate to…" trailed off Garrett, looking up at me.

"Let's go now," I muttered.

"Edward, let us handle-"

""AHHHHH," Bella screamed from inside the house. "NOOOOOOOOO."

"LET'S GO," I snapped, running toward the front of the house. Garrett and Peter ran past me as all of us ran into the house.

"SCREAM FOR ME, ANGEL," Either Sam or Phil yelled.

"STOP, PLEASE STOP!" Bella screamed.

We threw the front door open, not caring anymore about the noise anymore. I followed Peter, Garrett, and Felix up the stairs with everyone following me. There was a light on in a room on the far end of the hallway. I could hear Bella crying from the other side.

We ran down the hall and threw the door open. All the air left my body when I saw Sam raping my wife. I could taste the vomit that rose in my through. Sam looked over at us and smirked. That's when I realized he had a knife to her throat. His smirk grew as he pressed the knife down.

Garrett flew across the room and ripped him off of Bella. She was shaking as she sobbed violently. Peter, Felix, and I ran over to Bella and began untying her wrist and ankles. The chicken wire used to bind her to the bed had cut into her wrists and ankles. I pulled her into my arms as her eyes started flittering to a close.

"Bella, stay with me," I begged as her eyes closed. "BABY, STAY WITH ME."

"We need to get her to the hospital," said Peter.

I stood up with Bella still in my arms and followed Peter and Felix out of the house. The rest of the team was to busy beating the shit out of Sam for me. I climbed into the backseat with Bella, and took the blanket that Felix had pulled out of the back. I wrapped her up, covering her bruised and bleeding body from everyone.

Five minutes later, we pulled up in front of the ER. Felix got out and helped me bulldoze my way through the crowd of reports and photographers so we could help my wife. Carlisle was waiting for us just inside the door with a gurney and a team of doctors and nurses. I laid her on the bed but kept her hand in mine as they rushed her back to a trauma room.

"Sir, you need to go wait in the waiting room," ordered one of the nurses.

"He's fine," snapped Carlisle at the nurse.

They moved Bella to the bed and Carlisle began examining her. Her face was covered from the blood that had poured from her nose. I could see the bruises forming under her eyes already, along with the bruises on her jaws, chest, abdomen. She has several shallow cuts along her torso and chest.

"He just missed her trachea," murmured Carlisle, moving down to her ribs. He felt around on her ribs gently. "She has a least one broken rib. We need to get her into x-ray."

"Yes, Dr. Cullen," said the nurse, turning to the phone.

"Edward, there is tearing…" whispered Carlisle, looking up at me. "Did he…"

"Sam was when…" I trailed off. "Yes."

"Oh my god," he whispered, shakily. "That son of a bitch."

A few minutes later, Carlisle and the nurse, took Bella down to get x-rayed. He refused to let me go with them so I waited out in the hall for them to come back. Peter and Garrett came back and waited with me. None of us said anything. We all knew that she wasn't ok and she wasn't going to be ok for a very long time, if ever.

A few minutes later, Carlisle brought Bella back down to her trauma room. Garrett and Peter waited outside while I went inside with them.

"She has a cracked rib. I'm going to bandage her cuts and then we are going to move her upstairs to Rose and Alice's room," explained Carlisle.

"Ok," I whispered, taking her hand in mine. "When will she wake up?"

"I don't know, son. She's been through a very traumatic event, both physically and emotionally. I don't know," whispered Carlisle.

I held onto Bella's hand while Carlisle treated her cuts. Luckily none of them needed stitches. The cut to her throat hadn't done any permanent damage. Any deeper and he would have but through her larynx. I slipped a hospital gown on her before they pushed her bed over to the elevator and up to the ICU.

Emmett, Jasper, and Esme were camped out around Rose and Alice's beds as we came in. Rose and Alice were both still out. Emmett, Jasper, and Esme all looked up at us as we came in.

"Oh my god," cried Esme. "What did that monster do to her?"

"Everything we were afraid of," I muttered, pulling up a chair next to Bella's bed and grabbing her hand in mine.

"Did they…" trailed of Emmett.

"Yes," I muttered. "Or at least we know that Sam did."

"Motherfucker," mumbled Emmett.

"How are Rose and Alice?"

"The same," muttered Jasper. "Just…the same."

Nobody else said anything as we watched the girls laying on their beds. I think all three of us knew we had let them down. I had promised to keep her safe. I had failed. Those monsters had gotten to her and…I only hope and pray that one day, Bella will forgive me for not being there when she needed me.

"How are they?" asked Garrett as he, Peter, Kate, and Charlotte came in.

"About the same," said Esme.

"Where are they?" asked Emmett.

"Phil's dead," said Garrett. "Sam must of broken his neck."

"And Sam?" asked Jasper, harshly.

"Dead," muttered Garrett. I turned and looked at him.

"Was it painful?" I asked.

"As painful as I could make it," said Garrett, looking me right in the eye.

"Good," I muttered, turning back to Bella.

We fell into silence once again. I laid my head on Bella's bed and let my tears fall as I prayed that she would wake up soon.

GPOV

After Edward, Peter, and Felix carried Bella's bleeding and broken body out of the room, Laurent shut the door. I looked over and saw, who I am assuming was Phil, laying on the floor behind the door. His neck had been clearly been broken. I shook my head and looked back at the madman laying on the floor. Sam was laying on the floor, curled up from the beating I had already given him. He looked up at me and I swear, the crazy fucker smirked.

"You should have had a go at that little whore," he smirked. I reared back and kicked him in the face.

"I wouldn't talk if I were you," I said.

"I'm not scared of you. You can't do anything to me," muttered Sam. I chuckled and knelt down next to him.

"See, that's where you are wrong, you crazy fucker. I know ways of making sure you feel every ounce of pain that you made her feel. I know how to get away with it," I said. "And I will get away with it."

"I already had my angel," he smiled. "I'll die a happy man."

"Well, you have the dying part right," I muttered.

I stood up and nodded at Demetri. He and Benjamin came over and grabbed Sam, setting him up on his knees. I pulled on a pair of latex gloves and picked up Sam's knife. I ran it along his chest, slowly. I slid it over to his nipple and looked in Sam's eyes as I cut his nipple off.

"AAAGHHH," he screamed.

"Gag him," I ordered. Seth came over and stuffed a rag into his mouth. "That's better. I really don't want to hear you screaming like the sad, pathetic, excuse of a man that you are."

I slid the knife to his other nipples and dug into his skin before I cut that one off. Sam screamed but it was muffled by the gag in his mouth. Seth knelt down in front of him and pressed a gloved finger into Sam's wounds. Sam screamed again and jerked against the arms holding him in place.

"Yeah, it hurts, doesn't it?" asked Seth, calmly. "Maybe like how it felt when you used your knife and cut on her."

"Laurent," I said, looking over at him. "How much time do we have?"

"Ten minutes, maybe," he said, phone up to his ear so he could listen to the police chatter. Just one of the perks of knowing a fucking genius.

"This will not be as slow as I would like," I sighed. Sam almost sighed in relief. "But just as painful."

I knelt down in front of Sam, running the knife along his cheeks. I slid it down his jaw bone to his neck. I pulled the knife down along his chest to his stomach, watching as Sam's eyes grew larger and larger. His breath coming in panting gasps through his nose. I brought the knife down to the base of his penis.

"Do you have any idea what you did that girl for weeks?" I asked, slowly dragging the knife around his lower appendage. "The nightmares, the people you took from all of us in this insane quest to get to her. Was is worth it, Sam?"

"MHMHMH," He muttered through the gag.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that," I said, grabbing his penis in my free hand. "I hope you rot in hell."

I brought the knife down, slicing his penis off in one quick move. Sam's body shook as he jerked around. Benjamin and Demetri let him go. They pulled the gag out of his mouth and the room was full of his screams. We quickly ran out of the house and jumped back into the car, and left him inside that house, bleeding to death. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he would be dead before the police got there.

**Thank you for all the reviews.**


	37. Chapter 37

BPOV

"_You are so beautiful. I love to watch you move on the stage. You sway your hips seductively at me. The way you smile or wink. The first time I saw you, I knew I had to have you," he murmured, running the knife around the outline of my breast. He pressed down and cut into my right breast._

_I clamped my mouth shut, trying not to scream. Screaming would just egg him on. My body was radiating with pain from the blows he had already planted on my body. He slid the knife down my body, pressing down and cutting me, until he reached the apex between my legs and I couldn't stop the strangled sob that escaped from my lips. _

"_That's it, Angel," he mused. "Cry for me."_

_He moved his fingers from around his erection and roughly thrust them into me. I clenched my mouth shut again, struggling not to beg him to stop. He smirked as he pulled his fingers out of me. He leaned over so that he was hovering over me. His hand with the knife was planted on the mattress next to my head so that the blade was against my throat. My tears were falling freely as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine and thrust into me hard._

"_AHHHHH," I screamed, thrashing against him. "NOOOOOOOOO."_

"_SCREAM FOR ME, ANGEL," he roared, pulled out and slamming back into me._

"_STOP, PLEASE STOP!" I screamed._

I snapped my eyes open, biting back my scream as I frantically looked around. I was laying in a hospital bed. The bright lights were shining down on me like a spotlight. My sisters were laying in the beds next to me, looking a breath away from death's door. I averted my eyes from them, knowing it was my fault they were here. Edward slowly stood up from his chair next to my bed and reached out for my hand. I flinched and scrambled away from him.

"Don't touch me," I cried, trying to ignore the pain radiating from my body. I didn't deserve to have an amazing husband like him.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Bella," he said, putting his hands up in front of him. "It's ok, love."

"It's not ok," I snapped, wincing as my chest exploded in pain.

"Bella, sweetheart, calm down," said Esme, pushing Edward away from the side of my bed. She slowly reached out and grabbed my hand as she sat down on the edge of my bed. "No one here is going to hurt you."

"Where is he?" I whispered, through my tears.

"We stopped him," said Garrett, coming up and standing next to Edward, placing his hand on Edward's shoulder.

"He'll come back," I cried.

"No, he won't," said Garrett, giving me a look.

"He's really gone for good?" I whispered.

"Yes."

"Was it painful?" I barely whispered.

"Yes," whispered Garrett.

"Good," I mumble, adverting my eyes from his.

I looked back over at Edward, who had tears pouring down his face silently. It hurt so much knowing that I had caused him pain, that I was still causing him pain. I ignored the searing pain in my side as I rolled away from him. The pain was clearly etched on his face and I hated that it was my fault that he was hurting. Edward reached over and sat down on the bed next to me and slowly reached out and grabbed my hand.

"Bella, I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop him from…I let you down, love."

I looked over at him, shocked that he was apologizing to me for what I had done to us. He was sobbing silently, letting his tears fall freely down his face. I opened my mouth several times to speak but I couldn't get my words out though my own silent sobs. I pulled on his hand. Edward's entire body shook as he climbed into the bed next to me and slowly, oh so slowly, wrapped his arm around me and held me as we cried together.

"Are Rosie and Ali ok?" I cried.

"They'll be ok," sighed Jasper. "They came to a little while ago but fell back to sleep."

"But Rosie had to…" Emmet trailed off, shaking his head. "She was pregnant and…"

"Oh my god," I sobbed.

Was there no end to the pain and suffering that we would feel from their sick game? Hadn't we all suffered enough? They had taken so much for us and now they had taken the one part of Rose that she wanted so badly, her ability to have a child. Guilt washed over me as I thought about just how much I had cost my family because I was selfish and stubborn.

I'm not sure how long Edward and I had been laying on the bed crying into each other's arms when the door to our room opened. I peaked through Edward's hair and saw two detectives coming in. I automatically tensed up and clung to Edward. I wasn't ready to talk about any of this with anyone, much less the police.

"Miss Swan, I'm Detective Monty Blake" said the first man. He was slightly overweight with thinning reddish hair. The man next to him was in better shape but had less hair than his partner. "This is my partner Detective Kyle Green. We need to ask you a few questions about what happened to you yesterday."

"I…" I shook my head on Edward's chest.

"She's not ready," said Garrett, stepping between them and us. My entire body was shaking from their penetrating stares. I buried my face in Edward's chest.

"Who are you?" asked Kyle.

"I'm Garrett Mitchell, the head of Miss Swan's security team," answered Garrett.

"Great job you did," muttered Kyle under his breath. I snapped my head.

"Get the fuck out of my room," I snapped at him.

"Miss Swan-"

"NOW," I screamed, gasping for air. My chest felt like it was on fire.

"Baby, calm down," whispered Edward, pulling me tighter into his arms. "Take a deep breath and calm down."

"She's not ready to talk you so I would get the fuck out," snapped Peter, moving so he was standing next to Garrett, who looked like he was ready to flip out on them.

"We need to know what happened to the two men that took her," said Kyle, harshly. "Oddly enough, they are both dead."

"She didn't kill them," Edward yelled, holding me tight.

"We don't think she did, Mr. Cullen," said Monty, dryly. "At least not on purpose."

"What are you talking about?" asked Emmett, joining Garrett and Peter in the man wall between us and the detectives.

"We believe that Phil Dwyer was killed by Sam Uley," explained Monty. "However, we think that Miss Swan may have killed Sam Uley in self-defense."

"What-"

"That's right," I lied, interrupting Garrett. Everyone turned and looked at me. "I kill him. He was…I…I killed him."

"That's what we figured happened," said Monty, softly. "Well, we'll need you to come by sometime and give us a statement about what happened. When you are ready, of course."

"We'll make sure she does," said Garrett, looking at the floor. The two detectives left, shutting the door behind them. Garrett turned and looked at me. "What the fuck do you think you are doing, B?"

"Admitting to killing that animal," I muttered into Edward's chest.

"But you didn't," said Garrett.

"Sure, I did," I mumbled. "I just can't seem to remember how. I must have gone crazy and blocked it all out, don't you think? I guess I was lucky that Peter, Edward, and Felix found me wandering down the road and brought me to the hospital."

"B…" trailed off Garrett, shaking his head. "We can't let you do that."

"You don't have a choice," I whispered, my eyes filling up with tears. "I can't…I'm going to need a lot of help with my security for a long time, Gar. I can't trust anyone else, right now. So just please don't make this an issue."

"Ok, B," whispered Garrett, wiping a tear off his face.

"Always so stubborn," whispered Alice, hoarsely. I snapped my head up and saw my big sister watching us. I pulled away from Edward and tried to climb out of the bed but he stopped me.

"I need her, E," I cried. Edward just nodded as he climbed out of the bed and lifted me in his arms. He carried me over to Alice's bed and laid my down next to her. I gently wrapped my arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Ali. Please don't hate me."

"B, it's not your fault, honey. I could never hate you," whispered Alice, rubbing my back. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from taking you."

"I shouldn't have insisted on going to the funeral," I whispered.

"We had to be there for Ang," whispered Rose. Alice and I looked over and saw Rose watching us with tears pouring down her face. "I'm so sorry, B. We promised to keep you safe and we failed."

"It's my fault," I cried. "I shouldn't have left Texas. I shouldn't have…"

"Let's give them a few minutes alone," whispered Garrett.

"We'll be right outside," said Edward. They all left, leaving me alone with my sisters. I reached over and grabbed Rose's hand, intertwining her fingers in mine.

"I thought they killed you both," I cried.

"Me too," whispered Alice, letting her tears fall freely.

"So did I," muttered Rose. "Did they…"

"Sam did," I mumbled, knowing what she asking. "He killed Phil and then…"

"Crazy son of a bitch," cried Rose. "I could literally rip his nuts off of him."

"He's dead," I whispered.

"Was it painful?" asked Alice.

"According to Garrett," I sighed. "Not painful enough, I'm sure."

"Not even close," muttered Rose, looking away from us. "So many people hurt…I'll never have kids. He stole that from me."

None of us said anything else as we just laid together. I clutched Rose's hand tighter in mine as I let my tears fall silently. They had taken so much from us, so much that we would never be able to get back. Our father, our best friends, our future in some ways. Would we ever be able to go back to who we were before all of this?

**Thank you for all the reviews. I know this was a short chapter, but it was very hard to write. Now, I know that a lot of you are wondering about why Bella would take the blame for killing Garrett but she's doing what she always tries to do by protecting those she loves. We still have a ways to go on this story and I can't guarantee that it will be all sunshine and roses. They all have a lot of healing to do and it will be a difficult road for them. **

**Big huge thanks to Miss-Beckie-Louise for helping me with this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you. And a big thank you to timidvampire for being a slave driver and forcing me to write this morning.**


	38. Chapter 38

"Lead singer of the rock band Twilight, Isabella Swan, is reported to be recovering at home from injuries she sustained when she was abducted a week ago from the funerals of her manager, Angela Cheney and her husband, Ben Cheney. Rosalie Swan and Alice Swan were both stabbed before Isabella was taken. Not much is know about exactly what happened to Isabella while she was being held by Sam Uley and Phil Dwyer, the same men suspected of the murder of The Cheney's and Charlie Swan…."

I shook my head softly as I turned off the television in my room. Just want I needed, the entire world was going to know what they did to me. I knew it wouldn't take long for the press to put the pieces together, even if the police were stupid. I tossed the remote onto the night stand and climbed off the bed, ignoring the ache from my ribs.

It's been a week since those two monsters had taken me and destroyed my life. Carlisle reluctantly released me, Rose, and Alice from the hospital yesterday. He wouldn't have if the press hadn't kept trying to sneak into our room like the vultures they are. I think the only reason he did was because he would be here with us, where he could keep an eye our recovery. He had taken a permanent leave of absence from the hospital.

I walked over and settled on the chaise in front of the window that overlooked the backyard. Garrett, Peter, Seth, and Jacob were down in the yard, upgrading our security system around the house. They, along with Laurent, Demetri, Felix, and Benjamin had made it their mission to make sure nothing like this happened again.

"Hey, you hungry?" asked Edward. I looked over and saw him coming in.

"Not really," I said, softly. He came over and settled on the end of the chaise. "Did you see the news?"

"Yep," he sighed. "They don't know anything, B."

"It won't take them long to find out what happened," I whispered, through my tears. I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head on them. "I'm so mad, E."

"Me too," he said, intertwining his finger with mine. "I think we need to find someone to talk to."

"I can't," I cried, shaking my head. "I can't talk about…with someone I don't know."

"Then talk to K," whispered Edward. I looked up at him. "She may not practice anymore but she would still be able to help us all work this out."

"I don't know," I sighed, looking outside. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"Aro called earlier," said Edward, changing the subject. I looked back at him. "He wants us to come in and talk about the tour."

"Fucking bloodsuckers," I muttered, looking back outside. "I don't want to do the tour anymore. I don't even know if I want to do any of this anymore."

"What?" asked Alice. I looked over and saw her and Rose, standing in the door way with Emmett and Jasper. All four of them looked shocked and a little upset.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rose. The four of them came in and sat down on the bed.

"I don't know if I want to stay with Eclipse anymore," I said. "I've been thinking about this a lot over the last few weeks. We should have left when Garrett did."

"So you just want to quit altogether?" asked Alice.

"I don't know," I said, looking away from them. "I just don't know what I want right now. All I know is that I can't do that tour. Everyone watching me, looking at what he did to me…"

"Ok, so we don't do the tour," said Rose, quickly. "I don't really want to do it, anyway."

"Me either," muttered Alice. "I guess we all need to decide what we really want."

After a few minutes, Emmett and Jasper helped Rose and Alice go back downstairs. They asked me to go with them but I wasn't ready to be around everyone. It was hard enough knowing that they all knew what he had done to me, knowing that Garrett and his team had seen him doing that to me. I didn't need to see the disgust in their eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Edward.

"Nothing," I muttered, looking outside. "You?"

"I was thinking about our trip to Italy," mused Edward, scooting over and sitting next to me. He wrapped his arm around my waist. "Remember that little vineyard we stopped at?"

"Yeah," I whispered, laying my head on his shoulder. "It was beautiful."

"We talked the owners into letting us squash the grapes," laughed Edward.

"It was so gross," I whispered, through my tears.

"Yeah, it was but it was fun too," sighed Edward as I buried my face in his chest and let my tears fall. Edward tightened his arms around me and held me while I cried myself to sleep.

_I could feel the wind blowing around me. I opened my eyes as I sat up and looked around. I was sitting back in the meadow. The wildflowers were swaying with the breeze. The sun was shining down on me but I didn't feel the warmth I should have. Instead, I felt my body shiver and shake. _

"_What did I tell you about that damn wolf?" asked Charlie. I snapped my head around and saw him sitting a few feet away from me._

"_Daddy," I cried, crawling over to him. Charlie wrapped his arms around me and held me. "I'm sorry, Daddy, that I didn't stay away from the wolf."_

"_He hurt you, didn't he?" asked Charlie._

"_Yes," I mumbled._

"_I'm sorry I can't be there to help you, honey," whispered Charlie._

"_I don't know what to do anymore," I cried. "I don't think I can get up there and sing anymore. Not now."_

"_You'll figure it out," said Charlie. "What's important now is that you let everyone help you. You have to let Rose and Alice help you because they need to. You have to let the boys help you because they need to help you girls, too."_

"_I just want to go back to when life was easier," I sobbed softly, nestling myself in Charlie's arms._

"_I know, honey," whispered Charlie, rocking me back and forth. "I wish I could give you that all back to you but I can't. You have to face this or you let them win. You can't let them beat you, Mini me."_

"_They already have," I cried._

"_They can't beat you if you don't let them," murmured Charlie. "You are strong enough to get through this but you can't do it as long as you are hiding."_

"_What if I'm not strong enough?" I whispered._

"_Hey, have I ever lied to you?" asked Charlie._

"_No," I sighed._

"_Then trust me, Honey," said Charlie. "Just let the others take care of you right now."_

"_I'll try," I whispered._

"_Good girl," whispered Charlie. I yawned as he rocked me back and forth. "Sleep now, honey. I'm here now."_

"_Don't leave me," I cried frantically clinging to him._

"_I'm never leaving you, Bella," whispered Charlie. "I'm with you all the time."_

"_I love you, Daddy," I mumbled._

"_I love you, too," whispered Charlie._

I slowly opened my eyes and found myself back in my bedroom. The room was dark but not pitch black. Edward must have placed a blanket over me after I fell asleep. I looked over and saw a single red rose sitting on the window seal with a note folded. I let my tears fall as I reached over and picked it up.

**B,**

**You looked so peaceful while you were sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up. I know you don't sleep very good right now. We are all out in the backyard, if you feel up to joining us. We'll understand if you don't but it would be nice. I love you, always and forever.**

**E**

I put the note back down on the window seal and picked up the rose. I brought it to my nose and smelled it. It smelled like…hope. I set the rose back onto the table and scooted off of the chaise, keeping the blanket around me. Slowly, I made my way downstairs and over to the patio doors.

I stepped outside and everyone stopped talking for a split second before they started carrying on with their conversation. Ducking my head, I shuffled over to were Edward was sitting next to Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice. I climbed into his lap, bringing my knees up to my chest.

"Did you have a nice nap?" asked Edward, wrapping his arms around me.

"Yes" I whispered. "Thank you for the rose."

"You're welcome," he whispered.

"I don't care what you say the Red Sox are the best team in the country," argued Garrett.

"They have nothing on the Yankees," scoffed Peter.

"Ok, please, tell me you aren't seriously comparing the Red Sox and the Yankees," laughed Laurent. "There is no competition. The Yankees are clearly the top team."

"Whatever," muttered Garrett, looking back at me. "B, you want a hamburger?"

"No, thanks," I frowned. "I'm not hungry."

"Would you like something else to eat?" asked Esme. I could see the concern on all of their faces.

"No," I whispered, nestling myself in Edward's arms.

"Ok, well, let me know if you change your mind, ok," she whispered, letting a tear slip down her face.

"I will," I promised. "Thanks, though."

Esme just smiled before she turned back to the others. I just laid my head on Edward's chest and listened to the others talking around me. Every once in awhile one of them would look over at me like they were waiting for me to freak out or start crying. They were concerned about me, I knew this, but it didn't make it any less annoying.

After a nearly an hour outside, I started getting cold so I slipped off of Edward's lap and went into the house. I laid down on the sofa, pulling blanket over me.

"So are you just going to keep ignoring all of us?" asked Rose. I peaked over the blanket at her.

"I'm not," I muttered, as she came over and sat down next to my head. I laid my head on her lap.

"Yes, you are," she whispered. "I understand why you are though. You've been through so much."

"You have too," I muttered. "I'm sorry they did that to you, Rosie."

"Me too," whispered Rosie, wiping the tears off her face. "I didn't even know there was a baby but I feel robbed. "

"I hate them," I said.

"Me too," said Alice. She came over sat down at my feet and pulled them onto her lap. "I feel so angry and it scares the crap out of me."

"I know," I mumbled. "I wish I had been the one to kill him."

Neither Alice or Rose said anything else about that night. I knew they felt just as angry as I did. Somehow, I didn't know how, but somehow we were going to have to work on moving past this. For the sake of our sisterhood, our marriages, and most importantly, our sanity.

**Thank you for all the reviews over this story. Each chapter becomes more difficult to write because trying to get into Bella's mind right now is not an way place to let yourself go. I hope that I am doing it justice. **


	39. Chapter 39

I was a nervous wreck. My entire body was shaking violently as I stared at the double doors that lead to the outside. Edward had his arms wrapped tightly around my body in an effort to make me feel safe but it wasn't working right now. All I could think about was as soon as I stepped out that door, the entire world would see. They would see it all and I couldn't let them.

"I can't do it," I muttered, shaking my head as I tried to pull away from Edward again. "I can't go out there."

"Baby, yes, you can," he murmured softly. "I'm right here. Em, J, Gar, Seth, Felix, D, L, Benji, Peter, and everyone else is going to keep you safe."

"I can't," I sobbed, turning into his arms and burying my face into his chest. "Please, don't make me go."

"It's ok, love," whispered Edward, tightening his arms around me. "But we have to go. The label has run out of patience with us. We have to go in."

"They will all see," I whispered into his chest.

"No, they won't," whispered Edward, leaning down to my ear. "Nobody can see anything."

"Do you promise?" I mumbled.

"I promise," he murmured. "Are you ready?"

"No, but I guess I don't have a choice," I whispered.

Edward tightened his arms around me as he pulled me through the foyer and out the front doors. My fists were clenched so tightly that my nails were digging into the palms of my hands. Garrett opened the back door to mine and Edward's excursion. Edward lifted me up and set me in the seat, climbing beside me. Garrett ran around and climbed into the drivers seat while everyone else climbed into their vehicles.

I knew they were right. We had to go in. It's been two weeks since Aro Volturi called Edward demanding a meeting. We had been pushing them off but we couldn't do that anymore. They said either we come to them or they were coming to us. I just couldn't have them in my house. It was the only place I felt the least bit safe anymore.

Twenty minutes later, Garrett pulled the car up into the parking garage of Eclipse Records. He looked back at us before he climbed out and came around and opened the door for Edward, who climbed out and looked back over at me.

"Come on, Love," he said, holding his hand out to me.

"I…" I mumbled, biting my lip. I closed my eyes as I slowly reached out and placed my hand in his. He gently pulled me out of the car.

"Breathe, B," he whispered. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. "Are you ready?"

"I don't know," I muttered, clutching onto his hand.

"Ok," he murmured. "Just let me know when you are ready."

"I'll never be ready," I barely whispered. "Let's get this shit done."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist as we followed everyone through the parking garage to the elevator. It took us two trips to get everyone up to the fifth floor of the large building. Garrett, Peter, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice joined Edward and I while Seth, Laurent, Demetri, Benjamin, Jacob, and Felix rode up with Carlisle and Esme.

We stepped off the elevator and I looked around. My eyes immediately landed on the door to Angela and Ben's office.

"_Bella, come out, come out, where ever you are," laughed Angela. I bit my lip as I hid under one of the desks that scattered around the floor. "Babe, you seen any of them?"_

"_Nope," chuckled Ben, walking past me. I resisted the urge to swipe his feet from under him but I don't want to give up my position. He and Angela were quite ruthless. "But I'll fine one of them, and when I do, they will all be mine."_

"_Seek out the pixie," snickered Angela. "She'll tell us where the others are."_

"_Stupid bitch," muttered Alice, from across the floor. I shook my head. She made it too easy._

"_Gotcha, Ali," smirked Angela. "Tell us where your girls are and we'll take it easy on you."_

"_Yeah, right," snorted Alice. "I can't trust either of you fuckers."_

"_Oh, come on, Ali," laughed Ben. "You know they would sell your ass out. Just tell us where those bitches are."_

"_NEVER," roared Alice. I could almost see her throwing her fist into the air. "We Swan shall overcome all." _

"B, you ok?" asked Alice, softly.

"Yeah," I said. "Just thinking about that night we played hide and go seek with Ben and Ang up here. Do you remember?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "They looked for you forever but they couldn't find you. They tried to bribe me and Rosie to give you up but we didn't."

"No, you didn't," I said, shaking my head. "I miss them."

"Me too," muttered Rose, grabbing my hand. "Me too."

Edward kept his arm around me as we headed down the hallway after the others to the large conference room at the end of the hall. We, Rose, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, Carlisle, and Esme took a seat at the table while Garrett, Peter, and the rest of his team stood on the back wall. I knew it was hard for them to come back to this building today, especially since the last time they were here it didn't go very well.

A few minutes later the door to the room was thrown open, slamming against the wall behind it. I tried to cover my flinch but I don't think I did. I looked over to see Aro Volturi, his assistant Gianna Corino, and Alec Bowden come into the room. I could feel my blood boil in my veins as Alec looked right at me and smirked.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" growled Garrett, coming up behind me and placing his hand on my shoulder. My body was shaking from Alec's eyes on me.

"He works here," said Aro, calmly. "However, you and your band of miscreants do not so I would suggest you vacate the building before I have to call security."

"They are with us," explained Rose, harshly. "They will not be leaving. I would tell your lap dog back there to get his eyes off my sister before I gauge them out."

"Alec," sighed Aro, turning back to the prick. Alec rolled his eyes as he tore his eyes off of me. Aro shook his head as he looked back at us, resting his eyes on me. "Isabella, how have you been?"

"Shitty," I muttered, looking away from him. I was squeezing Edward's hand so tightly in mine that I'm surprised he had any feeling in his hand left.

"I suppose that's about accurate," he sighed. "Rosalie, Alice, you both are healing ok?"

"Yeah, super," said Rose, dryly. "Can we please skip all the pleasantries and get down to business? We would like to go back home."

"Of course," said Aro. I turned back and looked at him. "We need to discuss your upcoming tour. Now, we-"

"We aren't doing the tour," I said, interrupting Aro.

"Excuse me, what?" he asked, clearly surprised.

"We are not doing the tour," I repeated.

"You have a contract," he insisted.

"We don't care," said Alice. "We are not doing the tour."

"You don't have a choice," snapped Alec. I flinched back, slightly.

"Nobody was talking to you," seethed Edward, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Don't use that tone with her again, or I will personally break your nose…again."

"Everyone, calm down," sighed Aro. "Now, Isabella, dear, you have a contract to do a thirty concert tour in two months."

"I don't care," I said. "Twilight will not be going on tour anytime soon."

"Neither will Breaking Dawn," piped up Emmett.

"You don't have a choice," explained Aro. "We have already spent quite a lot of money promoting this tour. Venues have been rented, security has been hired. We simply cannot cancel it now."

"You don't have a choice," said Jasper. "We are not doing it."

"I suppose this leaves us at an impasse," sighed Aro, shaking his head. "What are we suppose to tell everyone who has bought tickets to your shows?"

"We don't really care," said Alice, heatedly. "We are not doing the tour. In case you hadn't noticed, none of us are ready to go back to work. We need some time to deal with a shit load of crap. Figure it out and deal with it."

"Fine," said Aro. "I suppose we can postpone the tour until you are ready."

"What?" seethed Alec. I flinched back slightly. "How can you let them decide that?"

"It's their choice, Alec," said Aro. His tone was eerily calm but the threat was there. "I would suggest you remember you gave your the second chance here."

"Fine," muttered Alec, standing up. "Let that little bitch have her way."

"You son of-" started Garrett but he stopped talking as I leapt over the table and threw Alec to the ground and slammed my fist into his face several times.

"ASSHOLE," I screamed. I felt someone grab my arms and pull me off of him. "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"

"B, calm down, Baby," whispered Edward, wrapping his arms around my body as he fell to his knees with me in this arms. My body was shaking violently. "Calm down, my love."

"I hate him," I muttered.

"I know," whispered Edward, "but you need to calm down."

"She's fucking crazy," mumbled Alec, scrambling to his feet.

"Get him the fuck out of here," growled Edward, standing up with me in his arms. "If you expect us to stay with this label, then I would reconsider his employment."

Edward carried me out of the conference room with the rest of our family following us. I buried my head in his chest as I let my tears fall for what felt like the hundredth time today. I'm not even sure what set me off with him, besides the fact that he is a major asshole. It was more of his tone, the look on his face, the aura around him. It was nauseating.

"The press is downstairs," whispered Garrett as we stepped onto the elevator. "Get them into the car as quickly as you can."

"Ok," murmured Edward.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I heard them. Yelling and screaming their questions at us. Flashing their camera's in our faces as we pushed our way through them to get to the car. I was clutching onto Edward as tightly as I could. Someone opened the door for us and he somehow managed to pry me off of him long enough to set me in the car before he climbed in next to me. He pulled me back into his embrace as Garrett jumped into the driver's seat and pulled out of the parking garage at Eclipse Records.

Twenty minutes later, Garrett pulled the car back up in front of the house. I practically jumped out of the car and ran into the house. I made a bee line for our bedroom. I went into the bathroom and started the water. I didn't even bother taking my clothes off as I stepped in under the water and let it wash away the dirt and grime that covered me.

"Baby, what are you doing?" asked Edward, running into the bathroom. "The water is fucking boiling, B."

"I had to get it off," I muttered as Edward turned off the water. He wrapped a towel around me and lifted me out of the tub. "They could see. I had to get it off."

"I know, B, I know," murmured Edward.

He didn't say anything else as he dried me off and helped me change into a pair of dry pajamas. I climbed into our bed and pulled the blankets over my head as I silently cried myself to sleep. I was definitely going crazy.

**Thank you for all the reviews. I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter but it's hard to get into the mindset needed. Please go check out GAjujubee's story 'Coming Home.' It's her first FF and it's amazing. Both her story and she can be found under my favs. Please remember that it takes a lot to put yourself out there when writing. We all need all the support we can get. She's been a huge supporter of mine for quite awhile now.**


	40. Chapter 40

**EPOV**

"No…please…no," whimpered Bella, waking me up. I sat up and flipped on the light on my bed table. Bella was thrashing around the bed like she was fighting someone off. The sad thing was, I knew she was. "NO…PLEASE NO!"

"B, wake up," I murmured, grabbing her arms and pinning them to the bed so she wouldn't hurt herself.

"NO…HELP ME….SOMEONE HELP ME!" screamed Bella, pulling her right arm away from my grip and punching me in my nose.

I stumbled back and fell off the bed with a loud thud. I could feel the blood pouring down my face but I didn't care. I climbed back on the bed as the door to our room got thrown open. I didn't need to look back to know it was Carlisle, Esme, Rose, Emmett, Jasper, and Alice. I grabbed Bella's swinging arms as she landed another jab to my face and pinned them onto the bed.

"NOOOOO," she screamed, frantically pulling away from me. "IT HURTS!"

"B, it's ok," I whispered into her ear. "I'm here, love."

"E, help me," she cried, as she stopped fighting me. She didn't wake up but she wasn't fighting me anymore. "Please come back, E. Don't leave me with them."

"I'm here, my love," I cried, softly, pulling her into my arms. "I'm never leaving you."

"Need…you," she mumbled, falling back into a peaceful sleep.

"I need you, too," I whispered.

Once I was sure that Bella was sleeping soundly, I laid her back down on the bed and climbed off. Our family was leaning against the wall of our bedroom with silent tears running down their faces. I motioned for them to follow me out of the room. We went down to the kitchen, where I proceeded to wash the drying blood off my face.

"Let me look at it," ordered Carlisle. I knew not to argue with him. He needed to do this right now. I turned and let him come over and check my nose. "I don't think it's broken."

"Good," I muttered, turning back to the sink. I finished cleaning my face and dried it off.

"What are we going to do?" asked Emmett. "We have to help her."

I turned back and looked around at my family. Emmett had Rose so close to his chest that I wasn't sure where one started and the other ended, both of them crying softly. Jasper was holding Alice in his arms nearly as tight as Emmett was. Alice was sobbing softly. Jasper was too but he was trying to hide it. Carlisle had his arms wrapped around Esme much the same way. I sighed as I looked away from them. It's been a month since our meeting at Eclipse Records and Bella still hardly lets me hold her hand much less wrap my arms around her anymore.

"I don't know," I sighed a moment later. "I just don't know."

I tossed the towel on the counter and headed back upstairs to Bella. She was curled up in our bed in a tight ball as she slept. I changed my shirt before I climbed back into the bed. Gently, I reached out and pulled her into my arms.

"Love…you…E," she murmured, pressing her face in my chest.

"I love you, too, B," I whispered. "I'll find a way to help you. I swear, I will."

I held Bella tightly in my arms as I let my tears fall silently. I would keep that promise. One way or another, I would help my wife over come this. We would do it together, like we have everything else.

**BPOV**

I slowly opened my eyes the next morning and looked around. Edward was holding me against his chest as he slept. I gasped softly at the bruising around his eye and nose. He snapped his eyes open and looked over at me.

"What happened to your face?" I cried. "Did I…hit you?"

"No, I ran into a door," smiled Edward. "I'm very clumsy."

"This isn't funny," I sobbed, pulling away from his as far as I could get. I had hurt my husband, my best friend, the love of my life. I was a horrible person.

"I know it's not," sighed Edward, reaching for me but I slid off the bed and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. "B, open the door please."

"No," I cried, sliding to the floor. "I'm so sorry, E. I'm so fucking sorry for everything."

"It's not your fault, B," said Edward. I could hear the thick emotions in his voice and I knew he was crying with me.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," I whispered, laying down on the floor.

"I know," whispered Edward. "I will take every jab, right hook, uppercut you throw at me, B, if it makes you feel safe again."

"You shouldn't have to," I said, letting my tears fall.

"You shouldn't have had to, either," murmured Edward. "I should have been able to protect you."

"You tried," I said, softly. "I was reckless. I shouldn't have insisted on going to the funerals. I practically asked for them to hurt me."

"That's not true, B," whispered Edward. "You didn't ask for them to do any of this to you. None of this is your fault. You have to get that into your beautiful head."

"I'm not beautiful," I muttered.

"You will always be beautiful to me," murmured Edward.

"Yeah?" I asked. "I don't feel it."

"That's because you are hurting. You are sad. You don't how to smile anymore," cried Edward.

I climbed off the floor and pulled the door open. Edward was laying on the floor in front of the door just like I was. He sat up and opened his arms to me. I started crying with him as I slid down into his lap. Edward's arms held me gently, yet firmly, against his chest while we cried together.

"I don't like feeling like this," I whispered, a few minutes later.

"Me either," he murmured. I felt his lips on the top of my head. "I want to help you feel better, Bella, but I don't know how."

"This helps," I cried, nestling myself in his arms some more. "I don't know what to do either."

"Maybe it's time to talk to Kate," whispered Edward.

"Maybe," I murmured. "I'm really sorry I hit you."

"I know," mumbled Edward.

Edward rocked me in his arms as I silently let my fall again as I drifted back to sleep.

I woke up sometime later and almost smiled when I found myself laying on the chaise next to the window. Edward knew that this was my favorite spot, as least for right now. He had pulled a blanket over me and placed another rose on the window. He had done this nearly everyday for the last six weeks. I didn't deserve him.

I heard the door open and looked over to see him coming in with a tray of food. I sighed as I sat up. I wasn't very hungry but I knew I needed to eat. I had lost quite a lot of weight over the last few weeks causing Edward to worry about me even more than he already was.

"I brought you some mushroom ravioli," smiled Edward.

"Esme's?" I asked, softly.

"Of course," snorted Edward, settling the tray on my lap. "She's been cooking all morning."

"That was very nice of her," I murmured. I picked up the fork and speared me a ravioli. I popped it into my mouth. "It's good."

"Good, you need to eat more," he whispered.

"I know," I muttered, popping another one in my mouth. "What's everyone doing?"

"Just hanging out downstairs," he shrugged. "I think they were going to watch a movie. Did you want to join them?"

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. I ate another ravioli before I set my fork down on the tray. "Is your nose broken?"

"No," smiled Edward, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. I leaned into his hand.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Did Carlisle check it out?"

"Yes and yes," assured Edward. I sighed as I looked out the window into the backyard. I can't believe I had hurt him. "You should finish eating."

"Ok," I murmured, looking back at my plate. I popped another ravioli into my mouth.

Neither one of us said anything as I slowly finished my lunch. Edward set the tray down on the floor and slid up next to me. I rolled over and laid my head on his chest. I felt him take a deep, sharp breath as he slowly wrapped his arms around me. I had missed this contact with him. Just feeling his arms around me, holding me, loving me, protecting me. Even if he was protecting me from myself.

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered.

"Nothing," I mumbled, softly. "What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking about how much I've missed having you in my arms," murmured Edward.

"Me too," I whispered.

Edward and I fell into a peaceful silence once more. One of the things I loved the most about Edward was that he understood that sometimes I didn't feel like talking. He had been so patient with me since everything happened. Just one more way I didn't deserve him.

"I want to go on vacation," I whispered.

"Vacation?" asked Edward. I nodded my head. "Ok, where do you want to go?"

"Italy," I said, smiling. "We could go back to that vineyard and squash grapes with our feet."

"You said that was gross," chuckled Edward.

"It was," I said, "but it was fun, too."

"Ok, we can go to Italy, if you want to," laughed Edward. "Anywhere else you want to go?"

"Scotland," I smiled.

"Why Scotland?" he asked.

"Charlie wanted to go there," I whispered, through my tears.

"Oh," whispered Edward. "Then we will definitely go to Scotland."

Neither Edward nor I said anything else. Edward was humming softly as he ran his finger through my hair. I almost felt relaxed for the first time in weeks, almost but not quite. I almost felt happy, almost but not quite. Maybe I never would feel truly happy again. I hated that it was so hard to even think of anything that made me happy right now. It was never this hard before to smile, to laugh, to be happy. I hate that it's so hard.

I'm not sure how long we had been sitting there in the comfortable silence when someone knocked on the door. I felt Edward sigh and I knew he was irritated with whoever was interrupting us.

"Come in," said Edward.

The door opened and Garrett came in. He looked tired and worn out. His normally kept hair was dishelmed and messy. He had dark circles under his eyes and I knew he wasn't getting anymore sleep than I was. Garrett always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Charlie said that was why we got along so well, we were too much alike.

"Bella, there are some people here who would like to speak with you," he said, softly. He wasn't meeting my eyes which just made me nervous.

"Who?" I asked, softly, clutching onto Edward's shirt.

Garrett didn't say anything as he stepped out of the way. I gasped loudly as my eyes filled up with tears. Standing in the doorway to my room was Reverend and Mrs. Weber, Mr. and Mrs. Cheney.

**Thank you for all the reviews so far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	41. Chapter 41

"_Bella, come on," laughed Angela, pulling on my arm as she dragged me up the front steps of her house. "You're being so fucking slow."_

"_Shut the fuck up, Ang," I snickered, pulling my arm out of her grip. "You are just dying to get me up to your room so you can have your wicked way with me."_

"_At least that way, I would be actually getting any," snorted Angela, throwing the front door open. "Lord knows Eric isn't giving it to me."_

"_He's such a loser," I snickered._

"_Angela, sweetie, is that you?" called Mrs. Weber._

"_Yeah, it's me and Bella," yelled Angela. Reverend and Mrs. Weber came out of the kitchen with big smiles on their faces. _

"_Bella, it's lovely to see you again," smiled Mrs. Weber, hugging me. I shifted from one foot to the other, awkwardly as I hugged her back._

"_Thank you, Mrs. Weber," I muttered. She pulled back and smiled as she looked from me to Angela. "What are you girls doing tonight?"_

"_Bella's going to tutor me in Calculus," explained Angela. "She claims she can help me actually pass."_

"_I can," I smirked._

"_Hmm, maybe it's the purple streaks that make her so confident, Angela," laughed Reverend Weber, pulling on a strand of my purple and brown hair. "Right, Bella."_

"_That's right, Rev," I snickered, high-fiving him. _

"_Come on, Bella," groaned Angela, grabbing my arm again. "I really hate when you and the old man team up like that."_

"_We know," we smirked together._

_Angela groaned again as we headed up top her bedroom, leaving Reverend and Mrs. Weber laughing at the base of the stairs._

I sat there in Edward's arms, unable to speak as I looked at Ben and Angela's parents. I looked back at Edward and opened my mouth but the words wouldn't come out. I wasn't sure I could talk with them.

"It's ok, B," whispered Edward, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Bella, we would just like to talk to you for a few minutes," said Reverend Weber. "Would that be ok?"

"Um…" I muttered, clenching my fists. My nails dug into the palms of my hands. "I…"

"B," said Edward. I looked over at him. "I'm right here, love."

"Promise not to leave?" I murmured, softly.

"I promise," he whispered.

"Ok," I whispered. Edward kissed my forehead before he looked back over at the door.

"Come on in," said Edward.

"Thank you," whispered Reverend Weber.

I followed them with my eyes as they came in and sat on the edge of our bed. Garrett frowned slightly before he shut the door behind him. For several minutes, we sat in an awkward silence. I don't think any of us knew what to say, or how to start this conversation.

"Well, um, how have you been?" asked Reverend Weber, finally ending the silence.

"Um…not great," I murmured. I could feel my body shaking. Edward placed his hand on the small of my back in an effort to help me relax but it didn't help.

"I suppose that's right," he whispered, looking around the room. "Um, I guess you are wondering why we are here."

"Yeah," I muttered, pulling my knees up to my chest. I wrapped my arms around them, tightly.

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about…" he trailed off, shaking his head. He took a deep breath. It seemed like he was trying to keep in control of himself. "About what happened to…"

"Ang and Ben," I finished for him. All four of them looked up at me.

"Yes," murmured Mrs. Cheney, clutching to her husband's hand. "The police told us…"

"And the press said…" trailed off Mrs. Weber.

"I know," I mumbled. I took a deep, shaky breath. "I wish… I don't know what happened to them, exactly."

"But it was those men, right?" asked Mrs. Weber.

"I think so," I whispered. Edward, slipped his arm around my waist.

"Did…the kids….know that someone was after you?" asked Mr. Cheney.

"Yes," said Edward. "Ben was the one who figured out that the person who killed Charlie was after Bella."

"And, um, while you were hiding, they were just left behind?" asked Mrs. Cheney.

"No," I said, eyes filling up with tears. "We…didn't…I…."

"We were trying to protect them by not telling them were we were going because we didn't know who was after her at the time. We thought that as long as they didn't know where we were, that they would be safe," explained Edward. "Ben and Angela said they would make sure the label stayed off our backs until we…until we could stop them."

"Bella, did those men…hurt you?" asked Reverend Weber.

"Yes," I whispered, looking out the window. "He….yes."

"Bella, look at us, please?" asked Reverend Weber. I slowly turned my head and looked at him as my tears continued to fall. "Are you ok?"

"No," I cried, shaking my head. "I…I'm so far from being ok, right now. I want Ang and Ben back so bad. I miss them so much. Angie was my best friend. Ben was my partner in crime. I don't know how…"

"They loved you," whispered Mrs. Cheney, wiping the tears off her face as they fell. "They used to tell us all these crazy stories from your tours."

"I love them, too," I cried, laying my head on my knees. "Ben used to throw his arm around my shoulder and say 'B, when are you going to finally realize that you love me and not Cullen?' Ang would just smack him on the back of the head and say 'Ben, you ass, she loves me, not you. Go find your own woman.' Ben would laugh and wrap his arms around her and say 'Angie, my love, I found the perfect woman in you.'"

"Sounds like Ben," cried Mr. Cheney. Mrs. Cheney pulled her husband into her arms and held him while he cried.

"You know, we didn't want them to come to LA," murmured Mrs. Weber, laying her head on her husband's shoulder. "We were afraid that they would come all the way down here and…"

"I know," I whispered.

"Angela sat us down one day and said 'Mom, Dad, who's going to make sure those Swan's get to the top of the world if you don't let me go?' I wanted to tell her that you and your sisters could go to hell but she was right," cried Mrs. Weber. "You needed her."

"Still do," I sobbed, softly.

"I suppose so," muttered Mrs. Weber.

"I know it doesn't help, especially right now, but I am so sorry that I couldn't save them," I sobbed. "I know that you must blame me for everything, and I-"

"We do not blame you for anything, Sweetheart," cried Reverend Weber, slipping off the bed and kneeling in front of me and Edward. He slowly reached out and grabbed my hand. "The only people to blame for what happened to…Angela and Ben are those monsters. They are burning in hell for hurting them and you, Bella."

"I'm so sorry, Rev," I sobbed, throwing myself into his arms. He gasped as he caught me, falling back on his butt. "I'm so sorry. Just so fucking sorry."

"Shh," he murmured, rubbing my back. "It's ok, Bella. Calm down."

"I…"

I trailed to calm down but my tears came faster and harder as he held me. I barely felt it as the Mrs. Weber, Mrs. Cheney, and Mr. Cheney joined us on the floor. All I could do was cry in the arm's of the people who could have hated me for what happened but didn't. The last thing I remembered before I slipped sleep that I had been fighting was the tingle I felt when Edward held me.

I woke up a few hours later, hungry and with a huge headache. I looked over and saw Edward sleeping peacefully next to me. I smiled softly as I leaned down and kissed his check. I climbed off our bed and slipped out of our room as quietly as I could. The house was dark and eerily quiet as everyone else was tucked away in their beds.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen and grabbed a bowl of grapes from the fridge. I had never seen so much food in there before. Esme was obviously working through her feelings by cooking. I pulled the throw off the back of the couch and headed out to the patio. I froze when I saw Jacob sitting on one of the loungers by the pool. He was just staring up at the stars like he had never seen them before.

"Am I bothering you?" I asked. He jumped slightly as he looked back at me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's ok," He smiled. "I thought you were asleep."

"I got hungry," I shrugged, wrapping the blanket around me before I sat down. I held out the bowl of grapes to him. "Want one?"

"Sure," said Jacob, pulling a few of them from the bowl. I set the bowl on the table between us and popped a couple into my mouth. "It's nice here."

"Yeah, it's not too bad," I murmured.

"At least you can see the stars," pointed out Jacob. "Don't see them much in La Push."

"Or Forks," I said, grabbing a few more grapes. "Are you going to go back?"

"No," said Jacob, staring at the stars. "La Push isn't my home anymore."

"Are you going to stay in LA?" I asked.

"I don't know," said Jacob, looking over at me. "I haven't decided yet. All I know is that I can't go back to that place. They all think I'm a crazy killer."

"Not anymore," I pointed out.

"Ok, so maybe they don't think I'm a murderer but they still think I'm crazy," chuckled Jacob, shaking his head.

"Sanity is highly overrated," I snorted.

"True," smiled Jacob.

"How'd you met Shane?" I asked, turning on my side so that I was facing him.

"I met Shane through Charlie," sighed Jacob, bending his knees up as he looked over at me. "Shane worked at a center for underprivileged kids. Charlie had been volunteering there for a few months when he insisted that I had to go with him. You know how Charlie was. He always got his way."

"I do," I chuckled.

"So I grumbled and whined but I went with him. We walked into the center and I saw Shane standing in the middle of the room, surrounded by children who were throwing questions at him from every directions. I think I stopped breathing for several seconds. He was…fucking gorgeous," smiled Jacob.

"What did he look like?" I asked.

"He was a little taller than I am. He had dark brown hair and the most amazing blue eyes. He had the most incredible body, just wow," murmured Jacob. I smiled softly at him.

"So you saw him standing there and then what?" I asked.

"I'm not sure how long I just stood there and ogled him before he looked up at me. He smiled and his entire face lit up. He made his way through the kids and came over to me and Charlie. Charlie put his hand on my shoulder and said. 'Jake, this is Shane. He's the magic man who makes sure all these kids have what they need. Shane, this is Jake. He needs a little magic.' Shane's smile grew as he looked from Charlie to me. He stuck out his hand and I placed mine in his as I said. 'It's nice to meet you, Shane.' He laughed and said 'Thank you, Jake, now go play with some kids. We'll see about getting you some magic later.' I couldn't help but laugh with him as I went over to the kids and started playing a game of Simon says. Every time I looked up, I caught Shane looking at me. For the next few weeks, I came with Charlie every time he went. I got to know Shane better. I found myself falling for him hard. Finally, after a really busy day with the kids, Shane grabbed my hand and asked me to go to dinner with him. I agreed and we went to this really shitty diner. It was disaster. Our waiter was rude, he spilled my water on me, I was sure that Shane was never going to want to see me again. But after we finally managed to finish our dinner, he grabbed my hand and we started walking back to the car. He suddenly stopped and looked over at me. He said 'I'm going to kiss you now so if you don't want me to, then speak up now.' I just smiled and pulled him a little closer to me. Slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. From that moment on, it was me and Shane," smiled Jacob. I wiped the tears off my face.

"That's really sweet," I whispered. "Do you miss him?"

"Very much," whispered Jacob, looking back up at the stars, "but I like to think that he's still with me, watching me make a mess of my life."

"Your life isn't a mess, Jake," I sighed, looking up at the stars. "You're the most together person in this house."

"Not very reassuring, Bella," snorted Jake. I chuckled as I stood up and picked up the bowl of grapes.

"I know it's not," I said. "You can call me B, Jake. You are welcomed to stay here for as long as you need to."

"Thanks, B," smiled Jake.

I headed back into the house and put the grapes back into the refrigerator. I headed back upstairs and climbed back into the bed, next to Edward. He murmured my name as I laid my head on his chest, sighing contently as I fell back asleep in his arms, where I belonged.

**Thank you for all the reviews. This was a very emotional chapter to write, seems like they all are right now. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I went back and forth on whether or not the Weber's and Cheney's would blame Bella for what happened but when I started it, I just felt like this was the way it was supposed to go. As my good friend, GAjujubee, always tells me, go with your instincts. So that is what I did. Please let me know what you think by clicking on the bubble down below.**


	42. Chapter 42

Have you ever had one of those days where you wake up just knowing that you should stay in bed? You know the ones where no matter what you do, everything just seems all fucked up and crazy? That's exactly how I felt when I woke up this morning.

At first I felt almost happy. Well, as happy as I can anymore. I climbed out of the bed and headed into the bathroom. That's when I heard it. Edward was in the shower. While that alone wouldn't put a damper on my mood, what I heard next did.

"Oh, Bella…Yeah, Baby, just like that," moaned Edward.

I froze outside the door as I listened to Edward jerking off in the shower. Guilt washed over me as I realized that I hadn't been the wife to him that I should be. He's been so patient with me and here I was two months later, still acting like a freak.

I heard the shower shut off and scrambled back onto the bed, pulling the blankets up. A moment later the door to the bathroom opened and Edward came out wearing a pair of pajama pants, hung loosely on his hips. He smiled as he came over and laid down on the bed next to me.

"Morning," he whispered. "How'd you sleep?"

"Good," I mumbled, biting my lip. "You?"

"Pretty good," he smiled, slowly bringing his hand up to my cheek. "Are you hungry?"

"No," I whispered.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I leaned in and pressed my lips to Edward's. I felt him tense up for a split second before he started kissing me back. Slowly, Edward pulled me closer to him, moving his lips against mine. Edward pressed his lips down on mine a little harder as he rolled us sot that he was hovering over me.

"_Cry for me…Yeah, Angel, just like that…"_

"No.." I whispered, pushing on Edward's shoulders. "No….NO, NO, NO!"

I screamed pushing him off of me and onto the floor. I jumped off the bed and bolted from the room.

"BELLA, WAIT!" shouted Edward.

All I could think about was getting away. Getting away and hiding. I scrambled down the stairs, barely recognizing the fact that everyone was sitting around the living room. I tripped on the rug but managed to get back on my feet as someone grabbed my arm. I spun around and threw my fist into their face. They let go of my arm but I fell onto the ground, on them. I couldn't focus on who it was. All I could do was throw my fist around, frantically fighting them off of me.

"NO!" I screamed, hitting them over and over. "NO, NO,NO, NO!"

"BELLA, STOP!" yelled Emmett, dragging me off the person I was attacking. I kicked my legs, trying to break free from his grasp but he held me tighter as we dropped to the floor.

"LET ME GO!" I screamed. "FUCKING LET ME GO! YOU DON'T GET TO HURT ME AGAIN!"

"B, stop," whispered Jasper, wrapping his arms around my flailing legs. "Calm down."

"No," I cried, shaking violently in their arms. "I…don't hurt me again. Please, not again."

"Nobody is going to hurt you," murmured Emmett, leaning down to my ear. "Take a deep breath, Honey."

"Please," I sobbed, clinging onto him.

Emmett kept whispering into my ear that everything was going to be ok as I slowly calmed my breathing, slipping into a deep peaceful sleep.

_I looked around and saw myself standing in the middle of a large stage. All the lights were off except for the spotlight that was shining brightly on me. I moved to my right but it followed me. I stopped and moved the other direction but it followed me again. _

"_You are a stubborn little bitch aren't you," laughed Angela, from behind me. _

_I frozen for a split second before I turned and saw her and Ben standing behind me. They were beautiful, amazing. Angela was wearing a long flowing white dress. Her dark hair was floating behind her. Ben was wearing white pants and a white shirt, un-tucked. But it was the look on their faces that were standing out to me. They both had the most amazing smiles spread on their faces. _

_I opened my mouth several times to speak but nothing would come out. I fell to my knees as I let out a strangled sob. I felt them both come over and wrap their arms around me, holding me tight against their bodies. _

"_It's ok, Bella," whispered Angela._

"_I'm so sorry," I cried._

"_You did nothing wrong," whispered Ben. "You have to move on, Bella. You can't keep holding on to us like this."_

"_I miss you both so much," I sobbed, clinging onto their arms._

"_And we miss you, Honey, but you have to live for us now," murmured Angela, pulling me against her chest. "Bella, honey, you have so much left to do."_

"_I can't do it anymore," I whispered, pulling away so that I was sitting between the two of them with my knees pulled up. "Everyone will see."_

"_They can't see anything you don't let them see," smiled Ben, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. _

"_How do you know that?" I asked, leaning into his hand. _

"_Charlie told me," smirked Ben. I rolled my eyes. "Charlie told me to tell you something else, too."_

"_What?" I asked._

"_He said to tell you that you already know what to do," said Ben. "He said to remind you that no matter what he is with you. He told me to tell you that he loves you."_

"_I don't understand," I grumbled, laying my head on my knees._

"_Yes, you do," smiled Angela, standing up. "You just don't see it yet."_

"_Don't go," I begged, grabbing the bottom of her dress._

"_I've gotta go, Doll. It's show time," laughed Angela, pulling me to my feet. She placed her hands over my heart. "Listen to what your heart tells you, Bella. Not what that crazy head of yours is telling you."_

"_I'm never going to see you again, am I?" I asked, sadly._

"_Probably not," whispered, Ben, wrapping his arms around me. "Remember that we love you, Bella. All of you, ok?"_

"_I love you, too," I cried._

"_Take care of each other, Bella," smiled Angela, pulling me into her arms. "You've always been my best friend."_

"_I always will be," I cried, softly. Angela and Ben turned and walked off of the stage into the darkness. _

I snapped my eyes open and found myself laying in mine and Edward's bed. The clock on the bedside table read that it was just after five in the evening. I had slept right through the day. I climbed off the bed and went over to the window and picked up the rose that Edward had left for me. Letting a tear slip down my face, I brought it to my nose. The smell of hope was gone.

I laid it down and made my way downstairs. I could hear everyone outside in the backyard but I couldn't face them yet. Not after making a fool of myself yet again. Instead, I wandered down the hallway to our music room. My hands shook as I pushed the door open. For a moment I just stood in the door way, looking at all the instruments that at one point had been such a huge part of my life.

Slowly, I stepped inside the room. I let my hand run over the sleek, black grand piano that sat in the middle of the room. My eyes fell on the beat up guitar in the back corner. I let a tear fall as I went over and picked up the guitar Charlie had bought me so many years ago. The guitar he taught me about music with.

I slid to the floor, letting the guitar rest on my legs. I closed my eyes and slowly strummed the strings, softly. Letting my tears fall with each and every cord, until they were coming down faster, harder.

"Once upon a time, in a land far away  
Lived a young girl, who dreamed of being a star  
She prayed every night that one day, she would shine  
Prayed every night that one day, she would win.

Oh, who was that little girl  
I can't see her anymore  
She's trapped inside the darkness  
Trapped with no way out.

Once upon a time, in a land far away  
Lived a young girl, who loved a beautiful boy.  
She prayed every night that he would never leave her  
Prayed every night that he would always love her

Oh, who was that little girl  
I can't see her anymore  
She's trapped inside the darkness  
Trapped with no way out."

"Is that what you think?" asked Edward. I snapped my head up and found him standing in the door way. "Do you think that I'm just going to wake up one day and stop loving you?"

"I…" I trailed off, laying my guitar down.

I stood up and walked past him. I couldn't deal with this right now. I wasn't ready to hear that he was tired of me, tired of dealing with my shit all the time. Tired of dealing with me being a crazy, violent bitch all the time.

"Bella, stop running from me," begged Edward, following me to the living room where Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper were sitting with Carlisle and Esme. Edward grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. "GODDAMN IT STOP!"

"YES!" I screamed, turning to him. "I… I know that you don't want me now that I'm….used."

"Bella, that is not true," said Edward, reaching toward my face.

"I heard you this morning," I whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"In the shower," I cried. "I heard you."

"Bella," whispered Edward, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry you heard that. I…"

"I know," I muttered, pulling my arm from his. "I get it, ok? I'm not… You need more but I can't give you what you want. I tried but…"

"I am not asking you to give me more than you are able to right now," said Edward, placing his hands on my shoulders. I kept my eyes focused on the floor. "Look at me, B."

"No," I whispered, letting my tears fall down my face.

"Please, look at me, B," whispered Edward. I slowly lifted my eyes to his. They were swimming in unshed tears. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like you…I am never leaving you, B. Ever! I don't care if we ever…I will wait until you are ready for anything."

"But you have needs," I whispered. "I can't…"

"I don't care," he whispered, pulling me against his chest. I brought my arms around him and let my tears fall. "Baby, I love you so much. I will never force you into anything you are not ready for. I am not like him."

"I know you're not," I sobbed, clinging to him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," whispered Edward, lifting me into his arms.

Edward carried me over to the couch and sat down with me in his arms. He held me as I continued to cry into his shirt, clutching onto him like he was my life source. Right now, he was.

"Everything ok?" asked Garrett.

I peeked through my hair and saw him with tape on his nose and black eyes beginning to form. I pulled away from Edward as I looked at him. I opened my mouth as my tears fell down my face.

"Gar," I whispered.

"Don't even think about it," he said, smiling at me. "I'm sure I deserved it for something."

"No, you didn't," I sobbed, softly. Garrett came over and knelt down in front of me. He raised his hand up to my face and gently wiped my tears off.

"Now you listen to me, B," he whispered. "None of us blame you for anything. You're doing the best you can. Give yourself a break and quit expecting us to leave you. We are not going anywhere."

"You're not?" I asked, leaning into his hand.

"No, we are not," said Garrett. "You are stuck with us."

"That's right, B," smiled Peter, leaning against the patio door. "Now that we're here, you're never getting rid of us."

"What about your jobs? Your lives?" I asked, pulling my knees up.

"We don't need no stinking jobs," snorted Felix.

"Our lives are here," smiled Kate, wrapping her arm around Garrett as she knelt down next to him. She placed her hand onto mine. "We are not going anywhere, B. Together, we will figure this out, ok?"

"Ok," I whispered, through my tears.

"Good, now I'm starving so let's crack out all that food Esme's been making," laughed Demetri. I couldn't help but laugh with him.

"You're always hungry, D," I smiled, softly, nestling myself into Edward's arms.

"I'm a growing boy, B," winked Demetri.

"Around the middle," snickered Heidi.

"Baby, that hurts," gasped Demetri, pretending to be wounded.

"Whatever you big baby," she laughed, jumping onto his back. "Take me to the kitchen."

I nestled myself even more into Edward's arms as Demetri laughed and carried her into the kitchen. I sat there in his warm embrace, listening to the craziest, loudest people I had ever known. I would never be able to let them go again.

**Thank you for all the reviews to this story so far. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter by clicking on the little bubble below.**


	43. Chapter 43

"Hey, B," said Garrett. I looked back at the patio doors and saw him watching me. "Am I going to bother your creative genius if I come out and sit with you?"

"Creative genius," I snorted. "Sure, come on out. Everything I write right now is crap anyway."

"I'm sure that's not true," laughed Garrett, sitting on the lounger next to me. I pulled on the sleeve of Edward's sweatshirt. I had started wearing it a few days ago. "Are you cold?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "Just makes me feel safer. It's my security blanket, I guess."

"Oh, I had one of those when I was three. Of course, mine was an actual blanket. My mother used to get mad at me because I would drag it around in the mud," smiled Garrett, bending his knees up. He looked over at me. "Where's E?"

"He's packing for our trip," I said. "I offered to help but he told me to just go relax and let him take care of everything."

"Kiss ass," muttered Garrett.

"He is," I agreed.

I turned back to the music book that was laying in front of me. I had been sitting here for the last two hours trying to get anything written but nothing would come out. Everything was depressing and full of angst. I was tired of looking at it all. It was pissing me off. I sighed as I closed my book and threw it on the ground.

"Can't be that bad," said Garrett.

"Worse," I muttered. "I can't write anything. Every time I try, it just comes out as shit. It's all 'Poor pitiful me. Look how much I suffered' shit."

"So you are writing about me?" asked Garrett, smiling. "That's so sweet."

"You are such a fucking dork," I sighed, shaking my head.

"Am not," he muttered.

I just snorted and ignored him. I looked back around the backyard. It was warm, sunny, mocking me with it's happiness. My roses were fully bloomed but needed to be pruned. I thought about doing it for half a second but then decided not to. I bit my lip as I looked back over at Garret. He was staring at the clouds, like he was memorizing them.

"Gar, can I ask you something?" I asked, seriously, turning so that I was laying on my side facing him. Garrett looked over at me.

"Of course you can," he said.

"When you…killed him, what did you do? How'd you do it?" I asked. Garrett turned and looked at the pool. His jaw was tight and his breathing had picked up.

"You don't need to know," he said, after a minute.

"Yes, I do," I whispered. My eyes filled with tears. "I…need to know that he…I need to know that he suffered for…it all."

"He did," said Garrett, looking back at me. "Just trust me when I tell you that he did."

"I need to know," I whispered, letting my tears fall.

"B," muttered Garrett, shaking his head as he sat up. "You need to just focus on healing."

"Don't you think I am trying," I snapped, standing up. I started pacing back and forth. "I feel like all I have done for the last two months is try to move on but I can't. All I do is relive every fucking moment from that day. The way he touched me, the way he hit me. The words he said to me. I want it to stop. I want to be able to let my husband touch me because I miss the feeling of his hands on my body but I can't because every time he does, all I think about is that bastard hurting me."

"You think if you know how I killed him that you will suddenly be ok?" asked Garrett.

"No, I don't think that," I said, sitting down on the edge of my lounger. "I need to know that he felt the smallest amount of pain that he put me through."

"Tell her," said Edward. I spun around and saw him, Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rose, Alice, Jasper, and Kate standing in the door way to the house. He smiled as he came over and sat behind me, slowly wrapping his arms around me. "She needs to know."

"E, you don't know what you are asking," sighed Garrett.

"Tell us," said Rose, leaning against Emmett. "That son of a bitch stole my baby from me. I need to know that he…"

"Me too," whispered Alice, turning into Jasper's arms.

"You really don't need to know," said Garrett, standing up.

"Don't tell me what I need," I seethed. "Don't tell us what we need. I'm tired of people telling me what to do."

"Fine," yelled Garrett, heatedly. "After I beat the shit out of him, I cut off his nipples. Then I ran his knife down his chest to his dick and cut that off. We left him laying on the floor screaming in agony, bleeding out. Is that better?"

"No," I muttered, pulling out of Edward's arms.

I ran past everyone and went right up to our bedroom. Slamming the door behind me, I slid to the floor as my knees gave out on me. I crawled over into the corner and let my tears fall freely. I heard the door open and close but I didn't look up.

"I'm sorry," whispered Garrett.

"For what?" I asked.

"For yelling at you," whispered Garrett, sitting down next to me. "I shouldn't have."

"Not the first time," I said, looking over at him. The bruising around his eyes were starting to turn yellow. "Besides, I did beat the crap out of you the other day."

"True," murmured Garrett. "But I did deserve it. I knew better than to grab you like that."

"Did he really scream?" I asked, softly.

"Yes," muttered Garrett, bending his knees up and folding his arms across them. "We gagged him so we wouldn't have to hear it."

"Did he cry?" I asked.

"Like a baby," whispered Garrett. "I wanted it to be slower, more painful than it was but we were short on time. I wanted him to feel every bit of pain that you felt. I wanted him to suffer for hurting Rosie and Ali. I wanted him to suffer for taking Charlie, Ben, and Ang from us."

"Then you should have left him alive," I muttered, looking back over at him.

"Why?" asked Garrett.

"Cause then he would be in prison being someone's bitch. He would have known what it felt like to be held down and…" I trailed off as my tears started falling.

"And what?" asked Kate. I looked up and saw her and Edward standing in the doorway. They shut the door behind them and joined me and Garrett on the floor. "And what, B?"

"When I woke up in that room, I tried the door but it was locked. I tried the window but there were bars," I whispered, laying my head on my knees. "All I could think was that I was trapped in that house with madmen. I'm not sure how long I was there when Sam came in. There was a look in his eye…I knew that he was going to hurt me. He pretended to be sweet but I knew it was a lie. He threw me on the bed and I tried to fight back but he just started hitting me. Over and over, he hit me. Phil came in and yelled for him to stop, that I was his angel sent to save him. Sam went over and kissed him, told him he wasn't sharing me anyone, not even him. Then he snapped his neck like he was nothing. Sam looked back at me and I knew that he was going to kill me."

"But he didn't," said Kate. "He didn't kill you, B."

"Yes, he did," I cried. "He may not have stopped my heart but the moment he…the moment he forced himself in me, he killed my soul. I tried not to cry, not to scream, not to beg him to stop but I was weak. I let him make me cry, make me scream, make me beg him to stop. He got a thrill out of my tears. It egged him on."

"You are not weak, B," said Edward, shifting me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around him as tight as I could.

"I wanted to die, E," I sobbed. "I wanted him to press that knife down and end it all. I am so fucking pissed off right now. I just want to go back to when things were good. I'm tired of being afraid to go outside of this house. I'm tired of being afraid to even be in the same room with everyone in case I go nuts and try to hurt someone."

"That's all perfectly normal, B," said Kate, rubbing my back. "Look, you have to accept that this is going to be a part of your life forever. Right now, just focus on one day at a time."

"I'm trying," I murmured.

"I know you are," smiled Kate. "Just be patient and remember that we are here for you."

Garrett and Kate left me and Edward alone, shutting the door behind them. Edward lifted me up and carried me over to the chaise in front of the window. He laid down next and pulled the blanket I had left there up, tucking it around the two of us. For several minutes, neither one of us said anything. I reached over and picked up the rose that was still sitting on the window ledge.

"Why did you start bringing me roses?" I asked.

"Charlie told me to," whispered Edward. I looked over at him. "He came to me in a dream the night we came home from the hospital. He told me that you were going to need me more now than ever. I promised him that I would take care of you. I promised him that I would make it ok. Charlie smiled and clapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Edward, just give her hope. Right now, she just needs hope.' When I woke up, you were crying in your sleep and I wanted to hold you, to make it better but I didn't know how. I was wandering around in the backyard, trying to figure out what to do, when I walked back your rose bushes. I pulled one off and smelled it. It smelled like hope to me."

"Me too," I murmured, laying my head on his chest.

"I wish I could make it all better, Love, but I can't. I do promise to always hold you in my arms. I promise to always love you. I promise to do whatever I can to make you smile again, to laugh again," whispered Edward, pressing his lips to my head. I looked up at him.

"E?" I barely whispered.

"What?" he asked.

"Will….will you kiss me?" I asked, letting my tears fall. He frowned. "I just want… I just need to feel your lips on mine. Please?"

"B…" whispered Edward. I could tell he wasn't sure I was ready. I moved so that I was sitting up next to him. Slowly, I brought my hand up to his cheek. He leaned into my hand. "I don't want to scare you again."

"I'm just asking for a kiss," I said. "Please?"

"Ok, but if you get scared just push me away and I will stop," frowned Edward.

"Ok," I whispered.

Edward slowly brought his hands up to my face and leaned up. Gently, he pressed his lips onto mine. I brought my other hand up and cradled his face in my hands as he was mine. Slowly, our lips moved against each others, caressing each other. After a moment, I pulled my lips away from his and leaned my forehead against his.

"That was nice," I whispered, softly.

"Best kiss ever," whispered Edward. "I love you, B."

"I love you, too," I whispered through my tears.

I laid my head on his chest as I settled next to him. Edward sighed and brought his hand up and ran his fingers through my hair. I looked over at the rose laying on the window seal. Maybe there was hope left after all.

**Thank you for all the reviews. I think we have about a handful of chapters left on this story. I appreciate everyone being patient with me while writing this. **


	44. Chapter 44

_I can do this. I can do this. No, I can't do this. Yes, you can you fucking coward! _I took a breath and pushed those thoughts out of my head. I was standing in the middle of the entry way of mine and Edward's house. The front door was open and everyone, but Edward and Kate, were waiting for me outside.

"It's ok, B, take a deep breath," said Kate. I looked over at her as I took one more breath. "Good girl. Now, are you ready to step outside?"

"Yes," I said, trying to sound much more confident than I was.

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and practically pulled me through the front door and out to the porch. Taking my third or fourth deep breath over the last ten minutes, I looked around. My family was standing around the group of cars that would take us to the airport. They all look almost as nervous and scared as I felt. I heard Kate shut the door behind us.

"Ok, that was good, B," she said.

"It's not like I haven't been out of the house, K," I snorted.

"I know but the backyard doesn't count," she chuckled, grabbing my hand. "Now, are you ready to climb into the car?"

"Yes," I said, softly.

This time, I practically dragged Edward down the steps of the porch to the large black Escalade that was waiting to take us to the airport. Edward slid in next to me while Garrett and Kate climbed into the front. I turned and saw Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, and the others climbing into the other handful of cars that were behind us.

"Everyone ready?" asked Garrett, looking back at us.

"Yes," I mumbled, softly.

Edward slipped his hand into mine as Garrett started the car and pulled out of the driveway. I laid my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as we made the twenty minute drive to the Airport.

Today we were leaving for our trip to Italy. I knew the others were just as nervous as I was about getting on the airplane and flying across the country before we boarded another plane and headed to another country but I also knew this was something I had to do. It was time for me to start living again. It was time for me to take control of my life back. I had let the monsters in my head control me for months now and I was ready to move on.

Garrett pulled the car into one of the parking spaces under the covered garage and cut the engine. He and Kate turned back to me. I could see the worry etched on both of their faces. I wanted to tell them they were overreacting but I couldn't. Biting my lip, I looked outside of the car and saw everyone starting to climb out of theirs. I looked back at Garrett and Kate before turning to Edward.

"I'm right here," whispered Edward. "We have plenty of time."

"I just need a few minutes," I murmured.

"Take all the time you need," said Kate.

Closing my eyes again, I tried to push back my panic. I knew I could do this but I was so scared that….I don't even really know what I was scared of. Just that I was I was terrified. I felt Edward lean his head down onto the top of mine and press his lips down. I took, yet another, deep breath and opened my eyes back up. I looked up at Edward.

"I'm ready," I whispered. "But stay really close, ok?"

"Ok," he whispered.

Garrett and Kate climbed out of the car first. Garrett opened my door and held out his hand for me. My hand was shaking as I placed it in his. He pretended not to notice and held it as I slid across the backseat and climbed out of the car. Edward climbed out right behind me and automatically wrapped his arm around my waist.

"You ok, B?" asked Rose.

"I'm ok," I muttered, looking around. "Um, I guess we should go inside now."

"Are you sure you are ready?" asked Kate.

"I can't stand out here in the open," I whispered to her.

"Ok, let's go," whispered Kate.

Edward tightened his arm around my waist as we followed Garrett and Kate toward the front doors of the airport. As we walked I noticed that Peter, Demetri, Felix, Seth, Jacob, Laurent, and Benjamin were surrounding us. They were flanking not only me and Edward, but Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme. They were trying to protect us all.

I smiled to myself as we stepped inside the airport. I heard several people gasp and squeal. I tried my hardest to ignore it. I knew I wasn't ready to deal with a mob of fans. Edward pulled me even closer to him. I looked up at him and he winked at me, reassuring me that everything was going to be ok.

Garrett stepped up to the blond flight attendant behind the counter. She was openly gawking at all of us. Garrett cleared his throat and she jumped about two feet in the air. Clutching her hand to her chest, she looked over at Garrett.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, we would like to check in for our flight. It's under Mitchell," said Garrett, as the woman's eyes traveled to me. I desperately fought the urge to look away or jump over the counter and claw her eyes out. That wasn't normal, was it?

"Of course," murmured the woman, breaking her eyes off of me. She looked down at her screen. "I have you on the next flight out to New York, first class. Here are you tickets. Enjoy your flight."

"I'm sure we will," said Garrett, taking the stack of tickets from her. He looked back at the rest of us. "Let's go."

Edward pulled me after Garrett and Kate. We checked our luggage and got in line to go through security. The guards looked up and gasped, loudly, as soon as they saw us. I chuckled inwardly when I saw one of the guards, a tall man with reddish hair, give Emmett the once over.

Garrett and Kate went through first followed by Peter and Charlotte. Emmett went through and held his hand out to Rose. I could see her hand shaking as she placed it in his. He pulled her into his arms as soon as she was through. Carlisle and Esme went next and turned to Jasper and Alice. Jasper whispered something into Alice's ear before he went through. Just as Emmett did, he held his hand out to Alice. She practically jumped into his arms. Seth went next followed closely, very closely, but Jacob. I saw both of them smile at each other before they turned away and looked elsewhere. Was there something going on between those two boys?

Felix and Tanya went next followed by Irina and Laurent. Edward looked down at me and I knew it was our turn to go through. I tried to get my feet to move but it was like they were planted to the ground.

"It's ok," whispered Edward. "Em and J are waiting for. They won't let go until I am there."

"Promise," I barely whispered. My voice was shaky and thick. Edward titled my face up to his.

"I promise," he whispered.

He brushed his lips across mine softly. I took a deep, calming breath, and looked back over at the others. Emmett and Jasper both held out their hands to me. My eyes filled up with tears as I pulled away from Edward's arms, stepped through the security check point, and found myself in the tight arms of my brothers.

"We've got you, B," whispered Emmett.

"It's ok," murmured Jasper.

"I know," I whispered. Edward quickly made his way through the checkpoint and pulled me into his arms.

"See, you can do it," said Edward, rubbing my back. "You are so much stronger than you realize."

I slipped my arm around Edward, clutching onto him as tightly as I could without literally jumping on him. Once Benjamin, Tia, Demetri, and Heidi made their way through security, the twenty-two of us slowly headed down the terminal towards our gate.

Again, everyone flanked around us, shielding us the best they could from the gawking eyes of the people around us. It took us about ten minutes to make our way to our gate. We still had half an hour or so before our flight was to board so we found an empty corner and took our seats. I was practically sitting in Edward's lap. Rose was sitting next to me, Emmett next to her. Jasper and Alice were sitting on the other side of Edward with Carlisle and Esme. Garrett and his team were sitting around us, still protecting us, always protecting us.

"Everyone is staring at us," I murmured.

"They can't see anything," said Edward.

"I know," I said. "The force field Peter, Gar, Felix, D, Seth, Jake, L, and Benji are projecting is keeping them from seeing how fucked up we are."

"Force field?" asked Peter. "Really?"

"Yep," I smiled.

"Ok," he chucked, shaking his head. "If that helps."

"Doesn't hurt," I said, laying my head on Edward's shoulder.

I looked over at Seth and Jacob. They were sitting next to each other, knees barely touching. They were leaning toward each other as they whispered softly. I saw Jacob smile shyly at something that Seth said. Seth chuckled and looked up at me. I smiled and cocked my eyebrow at him. I swear his already dark cheeks turned darker as he blushed and looked back at Jacob. Oh, yeah, definitely something going on there.

"First class boarding for flight number1455 to New York is now boarding."

I took a deep breath as everyone turned and looked over at me. This was it. The moment I had truly been dreading since we started planning this trip. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle climbing onto that plane but I knew this was a step I had to take. Closing my eyes, I slowly pulled out of Edward's arms and stood up.

"Let…let's go," I whispered, shakily.

"Are you sure you are ready?" asked Kate, standing up.

"No but it's time," I muttered. "So, let's just…go."

Edward stood up and wrapped his arm around my waist. Slowly, the others stood up. We headed over to the gate and handed the flight attendant, who squealed, our tickets. We made our way down the long tunnel to our plane. We settled into our first class seats. Again, our security team was seated around us.

As everyone boarded the plane, they stared at us, gasped, squealed before they headed off to their own seats. After a few minutes, I closed my eyes and laid my head on Edward's shoulder. Finally after what felt like an eternity, they closed the doors to the plane and rolled out into the runway. The plane lifted off the ground and took off toward New York City.

"Got through that okay," I muttered, shaking my head.

"You did amazing," smiled Edward, pressing his lips to mine. "I'm so proud of you."

"You are?" I asked, softly.

"Yes, I am," chuckled Edward, leaning his forehead against mine. "I know it's scary but this was a huge step."

"I know," I murmured. "Thank you for taking it with me."

"Every step," he whispered.

Just under six hours later, our plane pulled up to our gate in New York. We waited until everyone had de-boarded the plane before we headed off. We made our way to our next gate, through customs, and boarded our plane that would take us to Italy. Edward wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we headed away from the gate. Hopefully, we would find just what we needed.

**Thank you for all the reviews. This was a huge step for not only Bella but Rose and Alice too. **


	45. Chapter 45

Mission get my life back: Day One

Ok, so maybe that is a silly name but that is the best way for me to describe what this trip means for me. When we landed in Venice, Italy, I felt a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders. This is going to sound a little crazy but in that moment, I swear I felt my mother wrap her arms around me. Crazy, right?

I think the others felt the same relief that I did. At least it seemed like they did to me. We decided to go to the hotel and spend our first day just resting. I'm not sure what everyone else did but Edward and I ended up sitting out on the balcony , watching the sun set. It was beautiful. It was perfect.

Mission get my life back: Day Two

I woke this morning for the first time in months without having had a single nightmare. I can't tell you how good it felt to not wake up screaming or hitting the man I love. I know Edward never complains about it, but it's hard for him to deal with me and my panic attacks. At least for today, we can hold onto the fact that I didn't try to hit him. Maybe we'll get to have more days like that.

Mission get my life back: Day Three

I'm exhausted. Plain and simple. We spent the day here in Venice, being the ultimate tourist and visiting every museum we could find. The Guggenheim, Ca' Rezzinico, Chiesa di San Rocco, to name a few. I enjoyed each and every one of them but my feet are killing me.

Then to top it off, we were nearly mobbed by a group of American teenagers who had come to Italy on spring break. I mean who in the hell sends their kids to a foreign country for spring break? Anyway, Garrett, Peter, and the rest of their team were able to push them back and keep them at bay. I still wasn't ready to deal with fans.

We ended going back to the hotel early. It had been an overwhelming day.

Mission Get my life back: Day Four

Today was not a good day. After spending most of the night plagued by nightmares, I was dragged off to go shopping with Alice, Rose, and the rest of the girls. I should have stayed in bed. One of the sales girls, who spoke very broken English, kept pulling on my arm to get to try on this blouse she was thrusting into my face. It took a lot of control for me not to rear back and punch her smack in the face. Luckily, Kate was able to get her to leave me alone before I let loose my can of whoop ass on her.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. It can't get any worse, right?

Mission Get my life back: Day Five

It got worse. Not so much for me but Rose was having a really bad day. It all started while we were sitting outside this small café. I could tell that she was tired and cranky. Well, this woman came by pushing a baby carriage. I knew that alone was hard for Rose, but then the stupid woman parked the carriage outside the café and went inside, leaving her baby sitting there. It's a wonder no one stole that baby right out of there. Well, Rose went off on the woman when she came out a few minutes later about being a responsible parent and taking better care of her baby. I don't think the woman had a clue about what Rose was saying but I think Rose needed to get that off her chest. She had been holding onto so much anger over Sam and Phil stealing her chance of being a mother away. Alice and I ended up taking her back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the night stuffing our faces with the most fattening foods we could find.

Sometimes I forget that Alice and Rose went through hell, too. Would we ever get our lives back? I'm starting to think we won't.

Mission get my life back: Day Six

Today, we headed out of Venice to the small vineyard that Edward and I had visited a few years ago. The little old woman who ran the vineyard actually remembered us. She told us how her husband had died last year and how he always talked about the crazy American couple who squashed grapes with their feet.

She graciously allowed us to do it again. I thought Alice was going to have a cow when she stepped into put. She whine and complained about how slimy and gross it was but after a few minutes she got into it, as did everyone else. I was glad that Edward and I got to share this experience with everyone. Just before he helped me out, Edward wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. I will never forget that moment.

Mission get my life back: Day Seven

Today, we traveled from Italy to Scotland. It was bittersweet for me, Rose, and Alice. Charlie had always talked about us coming to Scotland one day. I miss him so much.

Mission get my life back: Day Eight

I'm fixing to kill Felix. I love the guy like a brother, but he is annoying the shit out of me. We were in Lossiemouth, when our bus broke down. Luckily, we meet a wonderful woman named Tina, who brought us back to her house. She served us scones and home made jam. Felix made a smartass comment about wanting milkshakes. I swear, her checks turned the brightest shade of red.

She had two beautiful dogs, Poppy and Bella. If you don't think Garrett and Peter thought it was funny that she had a dog with the same name as me, then you don't know Garrett and Peter very well. Anyway, Tina was a lovely woman. I hope we can stay in contact with her. As we were leaving her house, I did notice she had a very large bucket of mud outside her front window. It was kind of odd.

Mission get my life back: Day Nine

It's hard to believe that we are going home in just a couple of days. I'm not sure I am really ready to go back to the real world. We have some major decisions to make. I know that we can't keep hiding, that I can't keep hiding us, but the more I think about it, the more it seems like Eclipse Records is not the place for us to be.

I haven't mentioned to Rose, Alice, Emmett, Jasper, or Edward yet but I've been thinking a lot about a conversation that Angela and I had once about opening up our own label. Would it be completely crazy to do it?

Mission get my life back: Day Ten

Today, we spent the day in this little park that we found a few blocks from our hotel. The weather was cool but not too cold. Edward and I were sitting on a blanket, watching the others as they threw a ball around. For the first time in a long time, I smiled. It didn't feel forced or fake. I liked it. I felt Edward press his lips against the side of my head. I think he liked it, too.

Mission get my life back: Day Eleven

I'm sitting in the airport right now, next to Edward, waiting to board the plane that would take us back to America. Back to the demands of our fans, a record label I no longer trust. Back to a life that I am no longer sure I want. The past ten days have been amazing. I felt relaxed, free…normal for the first time in so long. It was just what I needed but how can I go back to the states and return to that life? Will I ever be comfortable back there again?

Oh, they just called for us to board. Back to the real world, here we come!

**Thank you for all the reviews. I know this is an ubbershort chapter. I really struggled on how to do the trip, or whether to skip right over it. In the end, I went with a suggestion from my dear friend, timidvampire, and went the journal route. Only a couple more chapters before the epilogue. **


	46. Chapter 46

"B, are you sure this is what you want?" asked Rose.

Rose, Alice, and I were sitting in the backyard next to the pool. We had gotten home from our trip to Italy and Scotland two days ago and I had finally gotten the balls to tell them about my desire to leave Eclipse. I wasn't sure how they would take it but in my heart, I knew this was the right move for us to make.

"I've never been more certain about anything," I said, softly. I pulled my knees up to my chest. "Eclipse isn't where we should be, not anymore. We should have left when they fucked Garrett over but we didn't. Can either of you honestly say that you want to be working with Alec or Aro anymore?"

"No," sighed Alice, shaking her head.

"Me either, but are you saying that you want to just quit the business?" asked Rose. "Give up on everything we've worked our asses off for the last few years?"

"No, I'm not," I said. "I'm not sure I'm ready to perform right now, but I was thinking that we could open our own label."

"Are you serious?" asked Alice, smiling.

"Completely," I smiled, back at her. "Angela told me once that she and Ben were thinking about opening their own label. If we hadn't stayed with Eclipse, I think they would have. After all the shit the label gave us after Charlie was shot, James being such an ass, and the last few months…I just think we need a change. I think Ang and Ben would like us doing this for them."

"Me too," said Edward.

Rose, Alice, and I looked back to the house. Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were standing in the doorway, listening to our conversation. They came over and sat down next to us, wrapping their arms around us. I smiled softly as I leaned back into his arms. It felt amazing not to be scared of him touching me, even if we hadn't done anything else yet.

"I think B's right," smiled Edward. "Eclipse is only going to keep us apart. They will never let us tour together, if we ever decide we are ready for that step. I, for one, am tired of spending months away from my wife."

"Me too," murmured Jasper, kissing Alice's head. "Besides, Em snores. It's annoying as fuck."

"I do not," laughed Emmett, shaking his head.

"Yes, you do, Baby," smiled Rose, turning in his arms. "But I love hearing your snores. I think it's a great idea."

"Me too," said Alice, smiling. "This way we get to honor Ang and Ben, the way we should."

Two days later, the six of us, Carlisle, Esme, Garrett, and the rest of his team loaded up in our various cars and headed to Eclipse Records. We had arranged to met with Aro Volturi again. Only this time, we were going to cut off our professional, and probably our personal relationship with the company.

I knew they weren't going to be happy with our decision but after all the shit they had put us through over the last year or so, none of us really gave a shit. It was time we did the right thing. Garrett and Kate seemed very excited about our decision and were looking forward to seeing us 'stick it up their asses' as Garrett explained. Honestly, I was too.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up in front of the large building. We headed inside as quickly as we could. While it was easier for me to go out, I didn't like to dwell too much. I knew this would always be an issue for me. We made our way up to the fifth floor and down to the conference room. Aro and Alec were waiting for us with Aro's assistant, Gianna.

"Come in, come in," said Aro, standing as we came into the room. He reached out for me but then pulled back. "How is everyone doing?"

"Great," smiled Rose, sitting down. Alice and I sat down next to her while Emmett, Jasper, and Edward sat to my left.

"That's great," said Aro, smiling as he looked from her to me and Alice. "It would appear that your vacation has done you some good. Got you some much needed rest."

"Yes, it did," said Alice, softly.

"Excellent," cheered Aro. "Well, we would love to talk about rescheduling the tour-"

"We won't be," I said, firmly. Aro's smile faulted slightly as Alec's mouth fell open.

"Excuse me, Isabella, but it sounded like you said you won't be rescheduling the tour," said Aro.

"You heard me." I folded my hands and placed them on the table. "Twilight will no longer be making records with Eclipse Records. In fact, we will no longer be associated in any way with Eclipse Records."

"Neither will Breaking Dawn," said Edward, placing his hands on the table as mine were.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand," chuckled Aro, a dark hateful laugh. "Both of you have contracts with us. You can't just leave."

"Oh, but they can," piped up Charlotte, stepping up behind us. "And they are. Seeing as Eclipse has not adhered to their side of the contract that both Twilight and Breaking Dawn have, the contract is now null and void."

"How have we not adhered to their contracts?" asked Aro. Alec was shooting daggers at me.

"By not providing them with adequate security for the past two plus years," smirked Charlotte, tossing copies of our contract onto the table. "Page two, paragraph five states that Eclipse Records will provide an adequate and qualified security team for both bands. Seeing as Twilight has been going without proper protection for two years, they are free to leave. As for Breaking Dawn, their contract expired at midnight last night, leaving them free and clear."

"Twilight had proper security," said Aro, all traces of friendliness were no longer there.

"Stoners?" asked Charlotte, harshly. "Assholes trying to lead them around by a fucking leash? Neither of them sound proper to me."

"Like they did any better," sneered Alec, gesturing to Garrett and Peter. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have to cancel half a tour and lose thousands of dollars."

"If it wasn't for you, our security won't have been cut and that girl would never have been able to find her way back stage to get to Derek," I said, dryly. "How much did you keep for yourself, Alec, when you cut our team in half? Cause, see, I've seen the budget reports for every tour we've done. Oddly, there seems to be a discrepancy in what you told us our budget was and what was reported to accounting. Isn't that interesting, Alec?"

"You don't know what you are talking about," mumbled Alec. I rolled my eyes as I looked up at Charlotte and nodded my head.

"Then you can explain why there was over a hundred thousand dollars added to your account at the same time as the tour in question," smirked Charlotte, sliding the bank records across the table to him. Alec picked it up and gasped. He dropped it on the table as he looked over at Aro, who was glaring at him.

"It's a fucking lie," argued Alec. "I did no such thing."

"Oh, come on, Alec," chuckled Garrett. "Did you spend it one of those underage girls we all know you like to fuck?"

"You asshole," yelled Alec, leaping across the table at Garrett.

We all scattered to the side as Garrett grabbed Alec and slammed him into the wall. Alec tried to hit him but Garrett was quicker. He grabbed Alec's hand and slammed it into the wall, pinning him there. The room was thick with anticipation. We all knew Alec had this coming for so many things. We all knew that Garrett was the one to take him out, too.

"It's not very nice when someone fucks with your life, it is, Alec?" asked Garrett. "I didn't much like having my life stole from me like you did. Those girls needed us and you took us away from them. I'll be damned if I stand around and let that happen again."

"That's enough," snapped Aro. Garrett let Alec go. He slid to the floor. "Alec, go to my office."

"But-"

"NOW!" roared Aro.

Alec mumbled under her breath as he scrambled to his feet and scurried out of the room. Aro went over and shut the door before he turned and looked back at us. He shook his head as he went back over and gathered his belongings.

"Well, I can't say this is how I envisioned our meeting going today," said Aro. He cleared his throat and looked around at all of us. "But I know your minds are made up. I wish you all the luck in the future."

"Thank you," I said, softly.

Aro just nodded before he and Gianna headed out of the room. We all took a deep breath and smiled. A huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. We headed down to the lobby and back out to our cars. Garrett started the car and pulled out into traffic but he didn't go home. We had one more stop to make today.

Twenty minutes later, he pulled up into the cemetery. Taking a deep breath, we climbed out of the car and went over to visit Angela and Ben. My tears slipped down my face as I knelt down and placed the flowers against their headstone. I felt the others gather around me, Rose, and Alice, placing a hand of comfort on each of our shoulders.

"Ang, Ben," said Alice, shakily. "We really miss you both so much. Thank you for believing in us, Ang. Thank you for loving us, Ben. We will never forget you. We will always love you."

"Ang, when Ali and I left for school, you promised to take care of my little sister," cried Rose. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder. "It's my turn to promise you. I promise to take care of her and Ali. I promise to take care of Em, E, and J. In return, I ask that you and Ben take care of Charlie and Renee for us, ok? We love you, Ang and Ben. We always will."

"Ang, Ben, I have so much that I want to say to you both but I'm not sure how to get it out," I whispered, letting my tears fall freely. "You believed in us when no one else did. You told us that we were good enough. You protected us and I'm sorry we couldn't do the same for you when you need us to. Ben, take care of Ang. I love you, Ben. You've always been my brother and you always will be. Ang…I…love…you. You'll….always be…my…best…friend."

Edward lifted me in his arms as my body shook with my sobs. He carried me over to the car and set me inside. Once everyone was ready, we headed back to the house. Edward carried me inside and straight up to our room. He held me as I let my tears fell down my face freely. I knew in this moment that he truly loved me. I bit my lip as I pulled back and looked up at him.

"E?" I whispered.

"What?" he asked, softly.

"Will you marry me again?" I asked. He smiled and his entire face lit up.

"I would marry you a hundred times over," he murmured.

"Just asking for one more time," I smiled.

"Ok," Edward laughed. "When do you want this wedding?"

"As soon as we can get everything arranged back in Forks," I said, softly.

"In Forks?" he asked.

"Yes," I smiled. "I want Reverend Weber to marry us, if he's willing. I want to get married in Charlie's house, with our family and friends with us. I want this to be a new start to our lives. I want this to be a new beginning."

"A new beginning to a life full of happiness," Edward murmured. "I like that."

**Thank you all for the amazing reviews. Ok, for all of you who are reading my other stories, I am taking a short break to get this one finished. I have two more chapters planned and then the epilogue. **


	47. Chapter 47

Three weeks later, we pulled up in front of Charlie's house in Forks. It was a bittersweet moment because while it felt nice being closer to Charlie again, it also felt like this is where so much of our pain had begun. The twenty-two of us climbed out of the handful cars we had been riding in and just stood there for a minute looking at the large white house.

"It feels odd to be back here," said Esme, shaking her head. "Like a lifetime has gone by."

"It has," I said, looking over at her. "Are you sure you aren't going to miss this place once you move?"

"No," smiled Esme, shaking her head again. "This isn't our home anymore."

"With Charlie gone and you kids all back in California, there is nothing left here for us," added Carlisle, grabbing my hand. "This is a good way to say our goodbye."

"I think so too," I whispered. "Well, we should, um, get to bed. A lot to do over the next few days."

Everyone murmured their goodnights as they headed over to Carlisle and Esme's house. Everyone but Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice, that is. They, along with Edward and I, grabbed our luggage and headed inside. I blinked back my tears as I looked around the house. It still looked as it did the night we ran from here, following nonexistent breadcrumbs.

"You ok?" asked Edward, leaning down to my ear.

"I'm fine," I murmured.

Edward pressed his lips down on my cheek before he led me up the stairs. Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice followed us up the stairs. I could tell they were just as nervous as I was about being back in this house. I looked back and smiled at them before I pushed open the door to my bedroom. I stood there in the doorway for a moment, willing my feet to move.

"We can stay downstairs if you would prefer," whispered Edward, tightening his arm around my waist. "Nobody will think anything if you don't want to be in this room."

"I have to do this," I muttered. "This is just one more step to getting my life back. One more step…"

"Ok," said Edward. "Just tell me when you are ready."

"I'm ready," I whispered. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the room.

"_Bella, you missed a spot," said Charlie. We had just spent the last three hours painting every inch of my room._

"_Where?" I asked, turning to face him. Charlie brushed his paint roller down my face and chest. "DAD!"_

"_Can't believe you fell for that one," laughed Charlie, doubling over onto the ground. _

"_I can't believe you did that," I giggled, rolling my paint brush over him._

_Charlie just kept laughing as he dipped his brush in the paint and starting painting me. I squealed and trust my paint brush at him. By the time we stopped, we were both covered in paint and were laughing so hard we couldn't breath._

"B, you ok?" asked Emmett. I smiled and looked back at him. He, Rose, Jasper, and Alice were standing in the doorway.

"I'm fine," I smiled. "We'll you guys in the morning."

"Ok," said Rose, smiling at me. "Night, sis."

"Goodnight," I whispered.

Alice came over and hugged me before she walked out, shutting the door behind her. I shook my head as I looked back at Edward, who was watching me with a smile on his face. I went over and wrapped my arms around him as I laid my head on his chest.

"You are doing so good," murmured Edward, wrapping his arms around me.

"I'm trying," I whispered, yawning.

"Are you tired?" he asked, pressing his lips down on my head.

"I'm exhausted," I chuckled. I pulled back. "I'm just going to change into my pajamas and then we can go to bed, ok?"

"Ok," smiled Edward, kissing me.

I gathered my pajamas from my suitcase and went into the bathroom. I know that Edward had seen me naked but I was still struggling with him seeing me after the attack. He had been incredibly patient with me but I was still working on it. I quickly changed and headed back out to my room. Edward was laying on my bed with a pair of pajama pants on but no shirt on. I smiled as I crawled on my bed and laid down next to him, placing my head on his chest.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you, too," murmured Edward.

I woke up the next morning before Edward did. I climbed out of bed and made my way downstairs. I went into the kitchen and started the coffee. I looked out the window and saw Esme sitting on her front porch. Once the coffee was ready, I poured myself a cup and made my way over to her.

"Morning, Esme," I said, softly. She smiled as she opened her blanket for me. I sat down and she wrapped it around me.

"How'd you sleep?" she asked, rubbing my arm.

"I slept pretty good," I said. "Well, as I good as I do anymore."

"That's good," sighed Esme, leaning her head down on mine.

"Are you ok, Esme?" I asked. "You seem kind of sad."

"Oh, I'm fine," whispered Esme. "I was just thinking about Charlie and Renee. They would have loved having everyone here like this."

"They would?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah," said Esme. "Your mother loved having people around. She used to cook us a huge family breakfast. Carlisle and I would take Emmett and Jasper over. They would eat and then usually go play with Rose and Alice while we all talked."

"I wish I had known her," I whispered. "I mean really known her. Rose and Alice have told me what they remember but they don't remember a lot. Charlie told us stories about her all the time, but it's not the same."

"I know it's not," murmured Esme. I sat up and turned to face her.

"Esme, can I ask you something?"

"Of course you can," smiled Esme, bringing her hand up to my face.

"Well, you know how Edward and I are renewing our vows, or getting married again, whatever you want to call it," I said. "And, well, I'm a little nervous about…God, this is so fucking hard."

"About sex?" asked Esme, smiling at me. I nodded my head quickly. "Bella, sweetheart, Edward is not going to expect you to have sex with him just because you are renewing your vows to him. He's not going to expect you to sleep with him, until you are ready."

"That's the thing, Esme," I sighed. "How will I know if I am ready? I mean, he has been so patient with me but I am so scared to even let him see me naked, much less make love to me. I hate it because I love him so much. I miss feeling his hands on me and-"

"Bella, take a deep breath," laughed Esme, interrupting my rambling. I took a deep breath. "What does Edward say when you talk to him about this?"

"He just says that he will wait until I am ready but I don't know when I am going to be ready. I miss him," I whispered.

"Bella, I don't know what to tell you. I wish I did but I don't, Sweetheart." said Esme, pushing a strand of my hair behind my ear. "All I can tell you is that when you are ready, I know that Edward will be incredibly patient and gentle with you. Just listen to what your heart tells you."

"Thank you, Esme," I smiled.

"You're welcome," she said, smiling at me. "I had better get in there before those boys destroy my kitchen."

"Ok, we'll be over in a little bit," I said, softly.

I headed back over to Charlie's. I found Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, and Edward sitting around the kitchen table. I poured myself some more coffee and sat down next to Edward, who slipped his arm on the back of my chair as he leaned over and kissed me.

"Good morning, love," he murmured.

"Morning," I whispered, nestling into his embrace.

"Ok, so the flowers should be here in the morning," squealed Alice. I smiled at my sister. She was so excited about actually planning our wedding. "The cake will be here by lunch. Anything else?"

"We will have everything ready so that when the music starts, we will be ready to go," smiled Emmett, winking at me.

"Just make sure B gets to the alter on time," smiled Edward, kissing the side of my head. "Don't want to keep me waiting."

"We make no promises," I laughed. "Do we girls?"

"Nope," smirked Rose.

"Besides, it's not like the wedding can start without her," giggled Alice, standing up.

"That's true, Ali," chuckled Edward, shaking his head. "Very true."

Just after noon, we loaded up into our cars and headed down to the diner for lunch. Poor Esme had done nothing but cook for everyone for the last few months and I figured she deserved a break, even if I was a little nervous. I would deal with it for her.

We pulled up in front of the diner and headed inside. We spread out to the many tables they had scattered around. We had just given our order to our waitress when the door to the diner opened. I looked up and snapped my head over to Jacob. In the doorway was his father, Billy, with tall, dark haired woman who was around my age.

"Jake?" asked Billy, rolling over to our table. Jacob took a deep breath as he stood up from his seat next to Seth. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"Yeah, um, just got back last night," said Jacob. I could tell Jacob was nervous. "You, um, look good. Rebecca, how are you?"

"Like you care," said the woman, glaring at Jacob. "You just took off and left him all alone."

"You mean like you did," I said, standing up.

"B-"

"No, Jake," I smiled, moving over next to him. I turned to Billy and Rebecca, who I now realized was his sister. "Where were you when Jake needed help taking care of your father?"

"I was in college, making something of my life," said Rebecca.

"Yeah, and he was left here at the age of fifteen to take care of your father," I said, heatedly. "He was a child."

"B, it's ok," smiled Jacob, placing his hand on my shoulder. He turned and looked at his sister and father. "She's right. I wasn't ready to have that kind of responsibility and it nearly killed me. I didn't know how to handle the stress and because I didn't, I turned to drugs. If it hadn't been for Charlie Swan, I would have been dead. I spent years taking care of him, Becca, and what thanks did I ever get? He sold me out to be a fucking murderer."

"What was I supposed to think, Jake?" asked Billy. "You were gone all the time. I saw the pictures of her on your wall."

"I was trying to find out who killed her father," snapped Jacob. Seth stood up and placed his hand on Jacob's shoulder. Jacob turned and smiled at Seth. "I'm gay, Dad."

"What?" gasped Billy. Jacob smiled and looked over at his father.

"I'm gay," repeated Jacob. "All those times you thought I was off seeing Rachel and Rebecca, I was really in Seattle with my boyfriend, Shane. He was died in a car accident a couple months after Charlie was shot. I didn't have anyone to help me through it because I couldn't tell you. I was so lost and so alone, Dad."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Billy.

"Because you've made your opinions about homosexuality clear," said Jacob, shaking his head. "But I don't care anymore." Jacob slipped his arm around Seth's waist and pulled him into his arms. "I'm in love with you, Seth."

"I love you, too, Jake," smiled Seth.

I could feel the tears swimming in my eyes as Jacob leaned in and pressed his lips against Seth's. Edward stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I looked over at Billy, who was watching his son kiss another man with his mouth hanging wide open, and Rebecca, who looked disgusted. Jacob pulled his lips from Seth's and smiled.

"Billy, I know this is a lot to handle," I said, drawing his attention to me. "But he's happy with Seth. I've known Seth for a very long time. I know that Seth will take care of your son, just as Jake will take care of him. If you've ever loved your son at all, you will love him for who is. I think you owe him that much."

"Charlie knew, didn't he?" asked Billy, smiling as he looked from me to Jacob.

"Yes, he had been pushing for me to tell you but I was scared," said Jacob.

"Well, I, um, going to need some time, Jake, but, um, maybe I could call you from time to time?" asked Billy. "I don't want to lose you, son."

"I would like that, Dad," said Jacob. He moved over and hugged his father. "I would really like that a lot."

"Me too," whispered Billy, hugging him back. Jacob pulled back and Billy looked over at Seth. "And, um, Seth, was it?"

"Yes, sir," said Seth, holding his hand out. "Seth Clearwater."

"It's, um, nice to meet you, Seth," said Billy, shaking his hand. "Maybe I'll get the chance to get to know you better."

"I hope so, sir," smiled Seth.

Billy and Rebecca took their food and left. We sat down and enjoyed our own meal. Jacob and Seth were on cloud nine as they whispered to each other. I was happy for both of them. Jacob had finally gotten the chance to confront his father and admit to who he really was. Seth was finally just as happily in love as the rest of us were.

That night as Edward and I headed back over to Charlie's house, I decided it was time for me to face one of my own fears. We bid Emmett, Rose, Jasper, and Alice good night and headed up to my room. I shut the door behind me and took a deep breath.

"E?" I asked, not looking up at him.

"What?" asked Edward.

"I need to do something, and it's very hard so please just…"I trailed off, closing my eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. I didn't answer him as reached down and pulled off my t-shirt. "Bella, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," I cried, softly. I moved my hands to my pants and started pulling on the button when I felt Edward take my hands in his.

"I'll do it," he whispered.

Slowly, Edward unbuttoned my pants and pulled them down my legs. I stepped out of them and brought my hands up to cover my body. I kept my eyes locked on the floor as Edward slipped off his t-shirt and pants so that we were both standing there in our underwear. Edward reached up and grabbed my hands, pulling them down slightly.

"You're beautiful," he murmured. I looked up at him. He was smiling but there were tears swimming in his eyes. "Absolutely beautiful."

"You don't think I'm disgusting?" I asked, barely whispering.

"You could never be disgusting," whispered Edward, moving one of his hands up my arm and cupping my face. "I don't see anything but the amazingly strong woman that I've been in love with my entire life."

"I love you, too, E," I whispered.

Edward lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the bed. He laid me down and climbed on next to me. Pulling me into his arms, I let my tears fall onto the chest of the man, I've loved my entire life. The man I would never stop loving.

**Thank you for all the reviews. Big steps were taken in this chapter. **


	48. Chapter 48

"_Here comes the bride," sang Charlie. I smiled as I looked over my shoulder and saw him sitting behind me. The wildflowers were blowing gently against him._

"_I knew you'd be here," I smiled, moving over so that I was sitting next to him._

"_Like I would miss your wedding day," scoffed Charlie, shaking his head. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer. "I wish I was there to walk you down the isle like I did Rose and Alice."_

"_Me too," I whispered. "But Carlisle will do it for you, Daddy, and I know you'll be there, in spirit at least."_

"_Of course I will," smiled Charlie. He sighed and looked around. "I love this place. Every time I'm here, I think about my girls."_

"_I'm not going to see you again, am I?" I asked._

"_I don't know," said Charlie. "Maybe, maybe not but you don't need me to help you anymore. You have your sisters, Emmett, and Jasper. You have Edward. You can let them take care of you. You are doing so good, Honey. I am so proud of you."_

"_I'm going to miss you, Daddy," I cried, wrapping my arms around him. "So much."_

"_I'm going to miss you, too, Honey," whispered Charlie, holding me tight. "I love you, Honey."_

"_I love you, too, Daddy," I cried. I kissed his cheek. "Tell Mommy I love her."_

"_I will, Honey," smiled Charlie, bringing his hand up to my cheek. "Be happy, my Mini me."_

_Charlie kissed my forehead before he got up and walked into the woods, leaving me alone. I laid back in the grass and let the wind blow over me. _

I snapped my eyes open. Tears were falling down my face as I looked over to Edward, but he wasn't there. Instead, laying on his pillow, was a rose and note. I smiled as I picked up the rose, bringing to my nose. Hope, nothing but hope. I opened the note and smiled again.

**B,**

**I was kicked out. Alice informed me that as of about six a.m., that I was no longer  
allowed to see you until the wedding started. Don't worry, I called her a pushy  
bitch for you. See, I'm always going to take care of you. **

**Since I won't be allowed to see you again until the wedding, I wanted to tell you  
something. Over the last few months, I've realized something new. Something that  
I am sure I've always known but didn't really see, if that makes sense at all. See,  
I've realized that I can't breath without you. I can't smile without you. I can't even  
laugh at my brothers without you. You are my everything, B, and I love you.**

**We were standing in the vineyard, with squishy grapes under our toes, when I  
realized that I've fallen in love with you all over again. Everyday I love you more  
than I did the day before. Everyday that I see you fight to get your life back, to  
get our life back, I fall for you again. I am so proud of you, my love. I know that  
Charlie would be, too.**

**I'll be waiting for you, my love, forever and ever. I love you.**

**E**

"Knock, knock," sang Alice, opening the door. I looked up to see her and Rose. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothings wrong," I cried. "He loves me. He said he's fallen in love with me all over again. That he loves me more and more everyday. He really loves me."

"Are you talking about E?" asked Rose, sitting down next to me.

"Of course I'm talking about E," I cried, falling into her arms. "After everything that we've been through, after all the times I pushed him away, he still loves me, Rosie. He said he loves me more than he did yesterday."

"Oh, B, of course he does," said Rose, rubbing my back. That's when I remember that I was only in my bra and panties. I pulled back and pulled the blanket up to cover myself.

"B, is there a reason you slept in only your bra and panties?" asked Alice, joining us on the bed. "Did you and E…"

"No," I said, quickly. "Um, we haven't done that yet. Last night I realized that I needed to start working on some of my issues with my body and E…So I let him see me in just my bra and panties."

"Wow, that was a big step, Honey," smiled Alice. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," I whispered. "He, um, helped me get my clothes off and told me that I was beautiful, Ali. I don't deserve him-"

"No, you stop that talk right now, B," ordered Rose, pulling back so she could look into my eyes. "You deserve E. He deserves you. You are beautiful and completely amazing. I am in such of awe of you. You've been through hell for the last few months yet you are still the most amazing person I've ever met."

"No, I'm not," I whispered, shaking my head. "I barely getting by most days."

"But the point is, B, that you are getting by," she smiled. "It's the only reason I've been able to. I see how strong you've been, how determined you are to get your life back and it gives me hope that I can too. Now, I know that I will never get to have a child, and that kills me, but I have my sisters. I have Em, J, and E, and everyone else, of course. I know that I can do it because you can. You're my hero, B."

"You're my hero, Rosie," I cried, wrapping my arms around her. I reached out and pulled Alice into our hug. "You too, Ali."

"I love you both so much," sobbed Alice.

Alice, Rose, and I cried together for several more minutes before we were able to stop. My love for my big sisters grew ten times in that one moment. We had all been through hell and were fighting our way back out but like Charlie said in my dream, we can help each other find our way back out.

"Ok, enough crying," laughed Alice, wiping the tears off her face. "It's time to get ready for the wedding."

"Ok," I smiled, blinking back my tears.

"Shower, now," ordered Alice, bringing her hand up to my face. "Today, we get to pamper you."

"I think I can handle some pampering," I smiled.

I hugged both my sisters before I headed into the bathroom. I took a hot shower, letting the water rush over my shoulders and back. Once I was done, I dried off and pulled on my robe. I headed back out to my room where Alice and Rose pulled me onto my bed and proceeded to play Bella Barbie with me. Only this time, I really didn't mind.

Just before the sunset, they helped me into my dress. Alice had just zipped it up when there was a knock on the door. She smiled as she went over and opened the door. A small gasp escaped her lips when she saw Robert Weber standing there.

"Hello, Reverend Weber," whispered Alice.

"Ladies, you all look beautiful," said Robert, looking around at the three of us. Alice and Rose were wearing soft blue dresses. "Can I have a moment alone with Bella? Please?"

"Um," said Alice, looking back at me.

"It's fine," I whispered.

"Ok, we'll be out in the hall," murmured Rose. They left, shutting the door behind them. Robert smiled as he looked around my room.

"This room is nice," he said, softly.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"How are you doing?" asked Robert. I looked up at him.

"I'm, um, doing ok. Some days are….pure hell," I said. "Other days are tolerable."

"Well, I, um, guess that's good," he mumbled, clearing his throat.

"How are you and Mrs. Weber doing?" I asked.

"Ann and I are doing ok," he said, softly. "Some days are pure hell and other days are tolerable."

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Don't be. It's not your fault, remember," said Robert. I nodded my head softly. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that I'm very happy for you and Edward, Bella. Angela…well, she would have been really happy to see you and Edward finally getting married."

"I know she would," I whispered, blinking back my tears.

"Now, don't cry," chuckled Robert. "Alice would never forgive me."

"Sure she would," I smiled softly.

"Um, Ann and I would be honored if you would wear this," said Robert, holding out diamond pendent. "Ben gave this to Angela the day they were married, and…" He paused as he took a deep breath. "I think she would be honored for you to wear it today."

"I would be honored, Reverend Weber," I whispered.

"Call me Robert, Bella," he said softly. "Do you want me to put it on or…"

"Yes, please," I whispered.

I turned around as Robert stepped over to me and placed the necklace around my neck. He placed his hands on my shoulders for a moment before he stepped back. I turned and looked over at him.

"Thank you," I said, softly.

"You're welcome," he murmured.

"I don't just mean for letting me borrow her necklace but for always accepting me for me and always welcoming me into your home. Thank you for marrying me and Edward today," I said.

"You're welcome," smiled Robert. "I, um, I've always though of you as a daughter, Bella, and um…"

"Me too," I whispered, through my tears.

"Well, I should go," murmured Robert. "We don't want to keep that young man of yours waiting, do we?"

"No," I whispered.

Robert kissed my forehead before he left my room. Alice and Rose came in but didn't say thing. They helped me fix my make-up. They both kissed my cheeks as Carlisle came in, looking extremely handsome in his black tuxedo.

"Wow, don't my girls look beautiful," he smiled. He came over and offered me his arm. "Are you ready, Sweetheart?"

"I think so," I murmured, slipping my arm into his.

"Then let's go," whispered Carlisle.

Carlisle and I followed Rose and Alice out of my room and onto the landing. The music started downstairs. Alice looked back at me before she started down the stairs. Rose grabbed my hand for a moment before she turned, let go, and made her way down the stairs. The music changed to the wedding march and I looked back over at Carlisle.

"Thank you, Carlisle," I said. "For stepping in when Charlie couldn't be here."

"You're welcome, Bella," smiled Carlisle. "But he is here, in spirit."

"I know," I murmured.

Carlisle tightened his grip on my arm as we started down the stairs. I swear I felt my father take my other arm in his. Carlisle and I stepped off the last step and I looked up. My eyes automatically locked with Edward's. He smiled and I felt my entire body blush. Carlisle led me into the living room, where Edward and the rest of our guest were waiting. He kissed my cheek before he placed my hand in Edward's outstretched hand.

"You look beautiful," whispered Edward, smiling. He was wearing a black tuxedo that fit him like a glove.

"So do you," I murmured. Edward wrapped my hand around his arm as we turned and faced Robert, who was smiling at the two of us.

"Today we gather to reconfirm the love that Isabella and Edward have for each other. I've known them both since they were born. Over the years, I've watched them love not only each other, but their family. Those here with us, and those who couldn't be," said Robert, letting a tear slip down his face. He quickly wiped it away. "Who gives this woman to be married today?"

"Her father, Charlie, does," said Carlisle. I gave him a soft smile before I turned back to face Robert.

"Isabella, do you take Edward to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for all of eternity?"

"I do," I said, smiling at my husband.

"Edward, do you take Isabella to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, for all of eternity?"

"I do," said Edward, bringing his hand up to my cheek. "I do."

"Today, as you place these rings on each other's fingers, know that today is a new beginning," said Robert, handing us our rings. "Isabella, place Edward's ring on his finger and repeat after me. Edward, with this ring, I recommit my life to you."

"Edward, with this ring I recommit my life to you," I said, sliding the ring onto Edward's finger.

"Edward," smiled Robert.

"Isabella, with this ring I recommit my life to you," said Edward, sliding my ring onto my finger. "And only you."

"Show boater," I teased, with a smile. Edward chuckled and winked at me. We turned back to Robert.

"It's an honor and a privilege to declare you husband and wife, again," smiled Robert. "Edward, you may kiss your bride."

Edward slowly brought his hands up to my face and leaned in. He murmured "I love you" before his lips touched mine. I slipped my arms around him and kissed him back. He pulled back and wiped the tear that had slipped down my face off.

"I love you, too," I murmured.

"I now present to you, Edward and Isabella Cullen," said Robert.

Edward and I turned and faced our family, who all had stood up and started clapping for us. Edward slipped his arm around my waist as he led me down the small isle and out to the entry way of Charlie's house. Alice and Jasper followed us and Emmett and Rose followed them out. We made our way out to the backyard, which had been transformed into a beautiful wonderland.

Edward lead me over to our table, pulling out my chair for me. I sighed contently as I sat down. Edward sat down next to me and leaned over and kissed my cheek. I closed my eyes as I leaned into his lips, feeling every ounce of his love in the small gesture.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful?" he whispered in my ear.

"Yes, but I still need to hear it," I murmured, just loud enough for him to hear.

"I will tell you as many times as you need me to," whispered Edward, turning my face to meet his. "You're beautiful."

"I love you," I whispered, closing the distance between our lips.

"I love you, too," murmured Edward, against my lips.

Edward kissed me once more before we turned to the food that was being placed in front of us. I wasn't very hungry. I don't know if it was a mixture of excitement or nerves but I wasn't hungry. I sat back and watched as my family, Emmett, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle, Esme, and Edward along with Garrett, Kate, Peter, Charlotte, Laurent, Irina, Felix, Tanya, Demetri, Heidi, Benjamin, Tia, Seth, and now Jacob, interacted with each other.

We, with the exception of Jacob, had always been close. Life on the road had a tendency to bring you together. Nights spent traveling on buses from one concert date to another, from one gig to another, from one hotel room to another, taught you to value who you were spending your days, weeks, and months with. But now, especially with Jacob joining us, we were closer than ever. The trials and tribulations that we had been through over the last several months had made our family stronger. Something I don't think I could have said a month ago, or maybe even a week ago.

Picking up my fork and glass of wine, I stood up and gathered everyone's attention. Already feeling the tears building in my eyes, I took a deep breath.

"I know that traditionally Ali, Rosie, Em, or J should be the one who starts the toasts," I said. I paused as I took another shaky breath. "I'm sorry, I really wanted to do this without crying."

"Good luck," hollered Garrett, chuckling. I laughed softly.

"I can't begin to tell you how much I love each and every one of you," I said, letting my tears fall. "I could never have gotten through…"

"It's ok, love," whispered Edward, standing up and pulling me into his arms.

"I could never have gotten through everything without all of you," I cried, softly. "Your strength and love gives me hope that one day, I'll be more than just ok. Thank you for just…everything."

"To Bella and Edward," said Peter, standing up. "Who have fought through hell and survived."

"Who have overcome so much together, where they will be forever," smiled Kate as she and everyone else stood up.

"To Bella and Edward," murmured everyone.

Once we had toasted to each other, Alice dragged us over to the cake. Edward and I were very nice to each other and didn't stuff it into each other's faces, despite Emmett, Jasper, Garrett, Peter, Laurent, Demetri, Felix, Benjamin, Seth, and Jacob urging us too. I just couldn't do that to him. We toasted once more before Edward pulled me out onto the dance floor.

Wrapping his arms around me, he started moving me around in a small circle. I sighed and laid my head on his chest, closing my eyes. I could hear his heart beating inside his chest, baboom, baboom, baboom. The song had just ended when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked back to see Emmett standing behind me, big smile planted on his face.

"May I have this dance, B?" He asked, holding his hand out to me.

"You may," I said, placing my hand in his. I saw Edward smile as he went over to Rose. He pulled her out onto the dance floor as Emmett pulled me to his chest.

"You doing ok?" asked Emmett.

"I'm doing pretty good," I smiled. "I feel good today. I feel happy and I haven't felt like this in a long time."

"Good, good," murmured Emmett. "That's good."

"Are you ok, Em?" I asked, softly.

"Most of the time," he said, shaking his head. "I never really thought about how much I wanted a baby with Rosie until…I guess, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it all, you know?"

"I do," I murmured, laying my head on his chest. "Sometimes when E is sleeping, I just lay there watching him breath. It wasn't supposed to be like this, Em. It was hard enough being away from you boys for months and then Charlie." I took a deep breath. "Will it ever get easier to just breath?"

"I don't know, B," sighed Emmett, laying his head on top of mine. "I don't know but I do know one thing. I know that no matter what, E is never going to leave you. And maybe one day, we will all wake up and find ourselves smiling without it feeling forced."

"I hope so, Em," I whispered. "I really hope so."

"I love you, Bella," said Emmett, stopping as the music faded off. I looked up at him. "I am very proud to have you as a sister."

"I love you, too, Em," I whispered, softly. I leaned up and kissed his check.

"Is it my turn to dance with you?" asked Jasper. I turned as Emmett spun me into his arms. I placed my hands in Jasper's shoulders and let him lead me as the music started again. "Are you having fun?"

"I am, actually," I smiled. "Ali and Rosie throw a pretty good wedding."

"That they do," laughed Jasper. He shook his head as he smiled. "B, I know that you and I haven't really talked much over the last few months. I'm sorry for that."

"Don't be," I said. "You and Ali are working on just as much as E and I are."

"That may be true but I just didn't know what to say to you," whispered Jasper, blinking back his tears. "I mean we were supposed to protect you and we failed. Ali and Rosie got hurt, too. I guess I was little pissed at the world."

"Me too," I muttered, blinking back my own years. "I still am, J. It scares the fucking shit out of me."

"Me too, B," said Jasper. "I just want you to know that no matter what, I am here for you. And I, um…I love you, B."

"I love you, too, Jasper," I whispered, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Thank you for just taking care of Ali for me."

"Always," mumbled Jasper.

The music faded off and he kissed the top of my head before he placed me in Edward's waiting arms. For the rest of the evening, Edward held me in his arms. I laid my head on his chest and just relished in the warmth of his embrace, the warmth of his love for me. As everyone headed back to Carlisle and Esme's for the night, Edward tucked me into his arms and lead me upstairs to my room. He shut the door behind us and I looked back over at him.

I was suddenly so nervous and scared. I was jittery yet excited at the same time. Edward shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the back of the chair in front of my window. I kicked off my shoes and looked back at Edward. He was watching me as he started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Have I told you that you look beautiful?" he asked, slightly smirking.

"A few times," I responded, pulling my hair down. I shook my head causing my hair to fall around my bare shoulders.

"Well, you are very beautiful," he smiled, pulling his shirt off and laying it on his jacket. "When I saw you coming down those stairs, it was like watching you on prom night again."

"Oh, prom night," I sighed, smiling. "No Mr. Banner there to yell at us for making out on the dance floor."

"I can call him if you want?" asked Edward, kicking off his shoes and socks.

"No, that's ok," I laughed, shaking my head. I slipped off the Angela's necklace and laid it on my dresser. "Do you think about that night a lot?"

"Prom night?" asked Edward. I looked back at him and nodded my head. "Of course, I do. That's the night you became my girl."

"I was always your girl," I said.

"Officially then," smiled Edward, undoing his belt.

I turned back to the dresser as I reached behind me and unzipped my dress, letting it pool at my feet. I turned back to Edward. He was watching me undress like it was the first time he had ever seen me halfway naked. He unbuttoned his pants and lowered the zipper before he shimmed them down his legs and laid them on top of his shirt and jacket. For a moment, we just stared at each other.

"E?" I barely whispered, reaching behind me and unclasping my bra.

"Yes," he murmured. The air was suddenly very thick with anticipation and nerves, not just mine either.

"Make me yours again," I breathed.

"Are you sure you are ready?" he asked, stepping up to me. He lifted my chin up so he could look in my eyes. I knew in this moment that I was ready.

"Yes," I whispered. "Just…be gentle."

"If it gets to be too much, tell me to stop. Hit me, push me away, and I will stop," He whispered. He looked so vulnerable.

"I love you," I whispered, letting my bra fall to the floor. "I trust you."

Edward didn't say anything as he lifted me into his arms and carried me over to the bed. He placed me in the middle and laid down next to me. For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then Edward leaned down and kissed me. His kiss started off soft but grew in intensity as his hand slid across my stomach to my hip.

Edward moved his lips down to my neck, sucking and kissing this way down to my collar bone. He moved further down until he was at my breasts. Looking up at me, he brought his lips down and took one of my nipples into his mouth. My hands flew to his hair as my breath caught in my chest. It was like the first time he had ever touched me.

He moved from one nipple to the other all while keeping his eyes locked on mine. Slowly pulling his lips from my nipple, he moved his lips down my stomach until he reached the stop of my lace panties. Looking up at me again, he slipped two fingers into the sides. I took a deep breath as I lifted my hips up, encouraging him to take them off.

Edward slowly slipped my panties down my legs and dropped them on the floor. Keeping his eyes on mine, he pushed my legs apart, leaving me wide open for him.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

All I could do was nod. I was ok but I didn't trust my voice not to break. Edward bit his lip as he slid his hands up my legs until he reached the apex between my legs. I closed my eyes waiting for the moment to come, the moment where I begged him to stop but it didn't. I opened my eyes again and looked at my husband. I wasn't scared of him. I knew he wasn't going to hurt me. I nodded my head for him to continue.

Edward smiled softly as he slid a finger into me. I gasped as the feeling of sheer pleasure that shot through me. Edward added another finger as he leaned down and brought his mouth down onto my aching sex. I couldn't help but moan. Edward had always known just how to make me feel good and this was certainly no different.

Edward continued to worship me with his lips and tongue as my body shook with one orgasm after another. Finally after what felt like an eternity, Edward leaned up and slipped his boxers off. He nestled himself between my legs and brought his lips down onto mine, once, twice, and then a third time.

"I love you, B," murmured Edward. "I love all of you, every inch."

"I love you, too," I whispered, hooking my legs around his. I could feel his erection pressing just outside of my core. "I'm ready, Edward. I'm ready for you to make love to me."

Edward pressed his lips down onto mine as he slowly, very slowly, slid his cock into me. He paused for a moment as he pulled his lips from mine. He looked into my eyes for any sign that I needed him to stop but there were no. I brought my hand up to his cheek, caressing him softly.

"I'm ok, my love," I murmured. "I'm ok."

Edward leaned into my hand as he slowly started thrusting in and out of me. Slowly, making love to me. Tonight really was a new beginning for us, a new start to a life that we would have together. I wove my fingers into Edward's hair and pulled his lips down to mine. Our lips moved together just as our bodies were. As we came together, silently whispering other's names, I knew that we would be ok.

**Thank you all so much for all the reviews. Only the epilogue left now. **


	49. Epilogue

**Five Years Later**

"E!" I screamed, clutching my stomach in my arms. The door to the bathroom flew open as my husband came rushing in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, frantically looking around. He didn't seem to notice the puddle of water at my feet.

"It's time," I whispered, softly. "My water broke. Call Em and Rosie."

"Ok," muttered Edward, rushing out of the room.

Carefully, I made my way out of the bathroom and headed into our bedroom. I slipped off my night gown and somehow managed to pull on the blue sundress that was laying on the bed. Edward came back in with his cell phone stuck to his ear.

"Yes…water broke…on our way now…I swear, I will be careful…" snapped Edward, closing his phone. He pocketed it before he came over and wrapped his arm around me waist in an effort to support me. "They are going to meet us there."

"Ok," I murmured.

Edward picked up the bag that had been sitting at the end of our bed for the last three weeks and led me down the stairs and out to the car. Lifting me up into the passenger seat, he gave me a soft kiss before he pulled my seat belt on. He shut my door and ran around to the drivers side of the car and climbed in. He started the car and pulled out of the garage and headed down to the hospital.

Twenty minutes and one contraction later, he pulled the car up in front of the hospital. Emmett, Jasper, Rose, and Alice were waiting for us outside. Emmett nearly tore the car door off its hinges as he opened the door.

"I've got you, B," he said, lifting me out of the car. That was saying quite a lot since I wasn't exactly tiny right now.

"B, are you feeling ok?" asked Rose, frantically as she grabbed my hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I've had one contraction so far."

"Ok, let's get you upstairs," muttered Rose.

Emmett carried me into the hospital with Rose still clutching onto my hand. Alice followed us while Jasper said he would wait for Edward. We took the elevator to the third floor and stepped off.

"My sister is in labor," barked Rose as the nearest nurse.

"Rosie, calm down," I ordered. Just then another contraction wrapped around my stomach. "Oh, son of a bitch."

"Breath, B. In and out," said Emmett, breathing with me. I didn't have the heart to tell him how that shit didn't work. He needed to feel useful right now. "Is that better?"

"Yeah, Em, that's better," I assured him.

The nurse Rose had been harassing ushered us down the hallway to our room. Emmett laid me on the bed and left so Alice and Rose could help me change out of my dress and into a hospital gown. The nurse got my IV started and our heart monitors going. The soft thumping noise filled the room. Rose sat down on the edge of my bed and grabbed my hand as we listened to it.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"Not yet, Rosie," I smiled. "I promise to tell you if I do."

"Ok," murmured Rosie, placing her free hand on my belly. "I can't believe they are really coming."

"Me either," I laughed as the door to my room opened. Emmett, Jasper, Edward, Carlisle, and Esme came in. "Where's Angie?"

"I left her with Kate and Garrett," said Esme. I nodded my head as Emmett sat down in the bed behind Rose. He placed his hand on my belly, too.

"Are you guys ready for this?" I asked, laying my hand on top of theirs.

"Yeah," murmured Emmett, blinking back his tears. "Been ready for a long time."

"Me too," whispered Rose.

A few weeks after mine and Edward's wedding, I was shocked to find out that I was pregnant. Neither Edward nor I had thought about using protection the night we first made love again because it had never been an issue for us. I was terrified about how Emmett and Rose were going to handle the news but as they usually do, they surprised the hell out of me.

"_Are you serious?" asked Rose, bringing her hands up to her mouth. She, Emmett, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Carlisle, Esme, and I were sitting in the living room of mine and Edward's house. I just blurted out that I was pregnant._

"_Yes," I whispered. "Rosie, this wasn't planned. I know you're probably so fucking pissed off with me-"_

"_Why would I be mad?" asked Rose, grabbing my hand. "Honey, you are having a baby. I'll get to spoil him or her rotten."_

"_I thought that because you couldn't…" I trailed off, biting my lip. "Are you sure you aren't mad?"_

"_No, B," smiled Rose as Emmett slipped his arm around her waist. "Am I jealous as hell? Sure but I could never be mad at you."_

"_Thank you, Rosie," I cried, throwing myself into her arms. _

True to her word Rose never got angry with me. I was careful not to complain about the weight gain, sore back, aching hips, and other pregnancy issues around her but she was amazing. She took me out shopping and helped me find the hippest maternity clothes. She came to Lamaze with me and Edward in case he couldn't be there, which turned out to be a good thing because he wasn't.

Edward, Emmett, and Jasper had traveled to San Francisco to check out a new band for our record label, New Beginnings Records, when I went into labor five weeks early. Luckily, Rose and Alice were both with me. They called Carlisle, who met us at the hospital. Our daughter, Angela Renee, was born two hours later. Rose and Alice held my hand the entire time. I still remember when Edward came busting into the room.

"_I'm here, Baby, I'm here," he yelled, throwing the hospital door open. I was laying in the bed with Angie, as we had chosen to call her, in my arms. _

"_Come meet your daughter," I smiled. Edward washed his hands and came over and sat down next to me. I gently placed the baby in his arms._

"_Whoa, I'm not ready," muttered Edward, trying to push her back into my arms._

"_Yes, you are," I laughed, laying her in his arms. "Just support her neck and hold her close. She's a cuddlier already."_

_Edward pulled our daughter a little closer to his chest and held her tight. I could see the unshed tears in his eyes that he was trying to keep from falling but I knew he wasn't going to be able to. Angie was our hope for a happy future. _

"_Hey, Sweetheart," whispered Edward, letting his tears fall. "I'm your Daddy. I'm going to take such good care of you and your mommy. I promise, my sweet Angie, to love you forever." Edward looked up at me and smiled. "I love you, B. She's perfect."_

"_I love you, too, E," I smiled. "Our family is perfect."_

"OH FUCK!" I screamed, clutching onto Rose's hand as I was hit by another painful contraction.

"In and out, B, in and out," she chanted. I almost slapped her. I swear I almost slapped her. She snapped her head over to Carlisle, who was monitoring my progress. "Can't you give her something for the pain?"

"The plan was for a nature, drug free delivery," said Carlisle, calmly. I reached over and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him down to me with a strength I didn't realize I had.

"GIVE ME DRUGS!" I screamed. Carlisle's eyes widen as I pushed him away.

"Carlisle, give the woman some drugs," demanded Esme, steadying her husband. "Can't you see she's in pain?"

"Ok, ok," muttered Carlisle. "Do you want an epidural?"

"Fuck yes," I growled. "Make the pain fucking stop. I swear they are trying to eat their way through my stomach like little vampire babies."

I swear everyone laughed a little bit at my comment but my glare and the contraction that hit at the same time, shut them the fuck up. Emmett was gently massaging my back, trying to ease the pain as much as he could. I appreciated the gesture but all I really wanted was for him to stop touching me.

Half an hour later, I sighed in relief. The anesthesiologist had just placed the epidural catheter into my back and I was feeling good.

"Do you need some ice chips, B?" asked Rose, taking her seat on my bed again.

"Yeah," I smiled, grabbing her hand. Rose grabbed the cup of ice and spooned some into my mouth. "Thanks, Rosie."

"It's the least I can do after everything you've done for us," said Rose, smiling at me. She set the cup down and moved her hands to my belly. "It feels like I'm dreaming."

"Me too," laughed Emmett, sitting down on the other side of my bed. He placed his hands on my belly next to hers.

"It better not be a dream," I teased.

"B, I know we've said this a million times over the last eight and half months, but thank you," cried Rose.

"You're welcome, Rosie," I whispered, through my tears. "Anything for my big sister."

Rose didn't say anything else as she cried softly. Emmett moved around the bed and pulled her into his arms. They both had been waiting for this moment for so long. The moment when they would become parents.

About a year after Angie was born, Rose and Emmett were told that if they could find a surrogate, that they could have a baby of their own. Rose still had eggs that could be harvested. The only problem was how do you find someone you trust enough to carry your child for you? After doing some serious sole searching and heaving thinking, I brought up the idea to Edward that I carry their baby for them.

"_Are you serious?" asked Edward. We were laying in bed, having just gotten Angie to sleep. _

"_Very," I said. "I've thought about this a lot, E."_

"_Wow," sighed Edward, shaking his head. "Are you sure you won't get attached to the baby, B?"_

"_No, but I think I can do this for them. They both were so supportive during my pregnancy with Angie. I just feel this is right," I said. _

"_If you think this is something we should do for Em and Rosie, then I will support you one hundred percent," said Edward, bringing his hand up to my face. "You still amaze me, love."_

With Edward on board, we decided to sit Rose and Emmett down and talk to them. I wasn't sure how they would feel about me carrying their baby for them. Would they feel uncomfortable with the idea of me carrying their baby? All I really knew was that I needed to offer. It just felt right to me.

"_Em, Rosie," I started. We were gathered around the living room of their house. It was just the four of us. I thought we should keep this as private as we could, until we knew something one way or another. "I would like to… I would like to be your surrogate."_

"_What?" asked Rose. _

"_B, you can't be serious," chuckled Emmett._

"_I've never been more serious, Em," I smiled. "I've been thinking about this ever since you two started talking about finding one. I feel in my heart that I am supposed to do this for you."_

"_I don't know, B," said Rose, warily. "What if you get too attached to the baby?"_

"_Then I get to be the coolest Aunt in history," I smiled. "Look, I know it's going to be hard but look at how you are with Angie, Rosie. I mean you are nearly as much her mother as I am. What a better way for us to raise our children than together like this, anyway."_

"_Let us think about it, ok?" asked Rose. "This is a huge decision."_

"_Fair enough," I agreed._

A week later, Emmett and Rose accepted my offer. Carlisle, Esme, Jasper, and Alice were all on board, which made it ever better. A few months later, Rose had her eggs harvested. Our first two attempts, however, failed. Rose and Emmett were starting to get very worried that their last attempt at having a child was not going to work. However, our third attempt, was a keeper.

_I was sitting in mine and Edward's bathroom with Rose, waiting for the egg timer to go off. Rose was tapping her foot in the floor as she chewed on her nails. I reached over and pulled her hand out of her mouth. _

"_What if it doesn't work?" asked Rose, looking over at me. She looked so vulnerable. "This is our last chance, B. What if-"_

"_Then we look into adoption," I said. "But I have a good feeling about this, Rosie."_

_The timer went off and I swear Rose stopped breathing. My hands were shaking as I reached over and picked up the little white stick that was laying on the vanity. Taking a deep breath, I looked down and smiled. I looked over at Rose and showed her the test._

"_Two lines means positive, right?" asked Rose, letting a tear slip down her face._

"_Yes," I whispered, bringing my free hand up to wipe away her tears. "You're having a baby."_

"_Oh my god," cried Rose, falling into my arms._

"_Is everything ok in there?" asked Emmett, impatiently. "Do you know anything yet?"_

"_Come on in, Em," I called. The door opened and he and Edward stepped into the doorway. "Congratulations, Daddy. You're having a baby."_

"_Are you fucking with me?" asked Emmett, blinking back the tears swimming in his eyes._

"_No, I'm serious," I smiled, showing him the positive test._

"_Oh my god," cried Emmett, falling to his knees. Rose moved over and wrapped her arms around him. "We're having a baby, Rosie."_

"_I know, Em," cried Rose._

"Knock, knock," said Kate, pushing the door open. I smiled at the her and the little auburn haired girl in her arms. "Is this a good time? Someone was missing their mommy."

"It's fine," I chuckled, patting the side of my bed. Kate came over and set Angie on the bed. "How's my big girl?"

"I'm tired," she whined, laying down next to me. "When can we go home, Mommy?"

"Auntie K will take you back to her house tonight, Sweetie, but Mommy and Daddy have to stay here for a little bit," I explained.

"To have Auntie Rosie and Uncle Em's babies?" asked Angie, placing her tiny hand on my belly.

"That's right, love," I said. "Do you want to talk to them before you leave?"

"Yes," she said. Angie leaned over and placed her lips onto my belly. "Hello, Babies, I can't wait to play with you. Come out so we can play with my dolls, ok?"

"Honey, they won't be able to play with your dolls for while," I laughed. She pouted as she scrunched up her little face.

"What will they do?" asked Angie.

"Sleep, poop, and eat," I smiled at my daughter. "That's about it for awhile."

"Hmm, that's no fun," grumbled Angie. Everyone chuckled softly.

"Ok, Angie Lou," laughed Kate, picking up the girl. "We had better get home. Uncle Gar is making mac and cheese. Tell your Mommy and Daddy that you will them tomorrow."

"Bye Mommy. Bye Daddy," said Angie. Edward went over and pulled the girl into his arms.

"I'll walk you down," he said. He looked over at me and winked. "Don't have them before I get back. I would like to be present for at least one birth."

"Haha, so funny," I snorted, shaking my head. "I love you, Angie."

"I love you, too, Mommy," yawned Angie, laying her head on Edward's shoulder.

Edward came back up a few minutes later. I continued to labor for the rest of the evening and most of the night. These babies weren't in quite the hurry that Angie was when she was born. One of the biggest shockers during the last eight and half months was finding out that I was carrying not one, but two babies for Emmett and Rose.

_We were sitting in the examination room at Carlisle's office. I was twelve weeks along and we were doing a routine ultrasound to check on the baby, check my progress, you know all the usual. He chuckled and looked over at me, Rose, Emmett, and Edward._

"_How many eggs did they implant this time?" he asked._

"_Four," said Rose. "Why is there a problem?"_

"_No, the, um, babies are fine," he chuckled._

"_Oh thank…" she trailed off. "Wait, did you say babies?"_

"_As in more than one?" asked Emmett, smiling at his father._

"_Yes, as in congratulations you are having twins," smiled Carlisle, turning the screen to face us. _

_There in the middle of the screen were two little babies, squirming and wiggling around. My eyes filled up with tears as I looked over at my sister and Emmett. They both had tears falling down their faces as they watched in awe. _

"_Twins," murmured Rose, bringing my hand up to her lips. "We're having twins."_

To say they were excited would be an understatement. Alice, Jasper, and Esme were just as thrilled as we all were. I'll admit to being a little nervous about giving birth to two babies but I knew I could do it. Especially for Emmett and Rose.

Luckily the pregnancy had gone smoothly. Other than a few weeks of morning sickness and some pretty crazy hormones, the last thirty-seven weeks had flown by. Rose and Emmett both decided that they didn't want to know if the babies were boys or girls until they were born. Alice, of course, tried to talk them into it but Rose and Emmett both said it didn't matter to them. All they cared about was the babies were healthy. I agreed with them.

"Ok, Bella, you're fully dilated," said Carlisle. "Are you ready to start pushing?"

"Yes," I whispered

Emmett and Rose moved to either side of my bed and gripped my hands in their hands. It was important to me that both of them were involved in the birthing process. Alice, Jasper, and Esme slipped out of the room, leaving just us, Edward, Carlisle, and a nurse.

"Ok, Honey, when you feel the urge to push, push," said Carlisle.

I felt the pressure wrapping around my belly so I barred down and pushed as hard as I could. Rose and Emmett both squeezed my hands as I pushed through one contraction to the other. While the epidural was still taking the edge off the of the pain, I was starting to feel more and more pressure.

"Ok, Bella, one more and baby A will be here," said Carlisle.

"Ok," I muttered.

Rose pushed the sweaty, matted hair out of my face and slipped her arm around me in an effort to support me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder as I clenched my jaw and pushed again. Pain ripped through me, followed by a burning as the baby's head slipped out. Carlisle maneuvered the baby's shoulders out and pulled the rest of it's body out.

"Wah, wah, wah," cried the baby as Rose laid me back on the bed. Carlisle smiled and looked up at us.

"It's a boy," he said, tears filling his eyes. He looked over at Emmett. "Do you want to cut the cord?"

"Fuck no," cringed Emmett. "I'm not cutting anything on my son."

"It's ok, Em," I whispered. "You can do it."

"Ok," muttered Emmett. He went over and took the scissors from Carlisle. He took a deep breath before he cut through the cord.

"Here we go," smiled the nurse, taking the boy from Carlisle. "Let's get you wrapped up, little guy."

I was barely aware of the fact that Emmett had come back to my side. I was exhausted and worn out but I still had one more baby to go. Rose was wiping my forehead with a wet cloth while Edward was standing over next to the baby. He looked over at me and winked.

"Ok, Bella, the second baby is ready," said Carlisle. "Push when you feel the need to."

"Ok," I muttered.

Emmett and Rose each slipped an arm under me this time as I started pushing. They were clutching my hands in their. My body was trembling from the exertion of giving birth to two babies. I fell back onto the bed a couple minutes later.

"You're doing so good, B," said Emmett, encouraging me.

"It hurts," I cried, shaking my head. "It's hurts so bad."

"Once more, B," urged Rose. "You can do it, sis. Come on, you can do it."

I pulled my hands out of theirs and grabbed the inside of my thighs as I barred down and pushed again. Emmett held his breath as their second baby slid out of my body and into the hands of Carlisle.

"Wah, wah, wah," cried the baby. Carlisle let out a soft sob as he looked up at us.

"It's a girl," he whispered. "A beautiful baby girl."

Emmett once again went over and cut her umbilical cord. Edward came over and stood next to me while Emmett and Rose went over to their babies. He leaned down and kissed me softly.

"You did great, B," whispered Edward. "So great."

Emmett and Rose followed the nurse out of the room with the babies in their arms. Carlisle cleaned me up and covered my lower body with a blanket. I was exhausted and sweaty but completely content with how everything had gone. Edward slid into the bed next to me just before the door to my room opened. I looked over to see Esme, Jasper, and Alice come in.

"How are you feeling, B?" asked Alice, taking my hand in hers.

"Exhausted," I sighed, laying my head on Edward's shoulder. I slipped my hand out of hers and rubbed her barely there baby bump. "How's my nephew doing?"

"Ben's great," smiled Alice. The doors opened once more and we all looked over as Emmett and Rose brought the babies back in.

"What's the verdict?" I asked.

"Charlie Edward weighed five pounds two ounces," said Rose, smiling as she showed us her son.

"Elizabeth Isabella weighs four pounds fifteen ounces," said Emmett, proudly.

"Isabella?" I asked, letting a tear slip down my face.

"Yeah," whispered Emmett. "We wouldn't have them if it wasn't for you, B."

"I'm honored," I cried, softly.

"Do you want to hold them?" asked Rose. I nodded my head, quickly. "Here you go."

Rose came over and laid baby Charlie in one of my arms before Emmett brought baby Elizabeth in my other arm. My tears fell freely down my face as I looked at my niece and my nephew. Charlie had the blondest peach fuzz on his head while Elizabeth had dark peach fuzz. They both yawned and I looked up at Emmett and Rose.

"You two make gorgeous babies," I whispered. I looked back down at the babies. "Em, do you remember when you told me that one day we would wake up and find ourselves smiling without it feeling forced?"

"Yeah," said Emmett, sitting down on the side of the bed. I looked from the babies to him and Rose to Jasper and Alice to Esme and Carlisle before looking up at Edward.

"Today's that day," I smiled.

**Thank you for much for all the reviews over this story. I can't tell you how much they all mean to me. I hope you all enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed writing it, even the hard parts. **


	50. Glosp Awards

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I have been nominated for several Glosp awards. Voting started today and ends on the 26th of October. Please go vote for me. Lustful Awakenings, Strange Awakening, Following the Breadcrumbs have all been nominated in various categories. I have been nominated for Best Author. I am completely blown away to even be nominated in the same category as half of the people who have been nominated with me. Thanks:)


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